Kissed By a Spanish Rose
by Antamaurora Silvalanda
Summary: After the car accident, Anton Chigurh is founded and cared for by a young lady who might not only be the key to his future, but to his salvation. After relocating with her to Brainerd, Minnesota, the hitman soon realizes that the woman who saved his life is related to police officer, Marge Gunderson.
1. Flashback

_Salvador Chigurh was a doctor who lived a good and happy life with his wife, Raquel. The Spanish couple lived on a decent ranch in Dallas, Texas, with their only child: their five year old son, Anton._

 _One night, the household was disturbed by a pounding sound at the door. Salvador shot up in bed and turned on the lamp. He went to the door to see who it was and asked, "Who's there?"_

 _"Doctor Chigurh, it's me!" Cried the desperate voice of a teenage boy. "I need your help!"_

 _Salvador recognized the sound of that voice and instantly felt fear strike into his heart. Knowing that something was wrong, Salvador went into his son's bedroom and shook him gently. "Anton, wake up, my son."_

 _Little Anton turned over and looked up at his father. "What is it, Papi?" He asked him, rubbing the sleep from his eyes._

 _"It's okay, it's okay", Salvador hushed his child, picking his son up into his arms. He carried Anton over to the closet and set him inside. "Anton, I need you to hide", he said. "Do not come out until I tell you."_

 _Once his father closed the door, Anton heard his mother speaking to him. "Salvador, what is happening?"_

 _Anton could barely see through the shutters, as he saw his father place his hands on both sides of her face. "I don't know, my love, but I need you to trust me."_

 _Raquel kissed Salvador passionately in response and wrapped her arms around his neck. Anton watched as he saw his parents kiss each other for the last time._

 _Hearing the banging on the door again, Anton's parents left his room. He heard the front door open, followed by the voice of his father._

 _"What are you doing here?"_

 _"Doctor Chigurh, please", cried the voice of a sobbing teenage boy. "I know I shouldn't have come here this late, but they told me to do it."_

 _"Who's they?" Raquel asked the boy._

 _"He hears these voices inside his head that tell him to do bad things", Salvador explained to his wife._

 _"I don't want to live, I don't want to live", the boy cried._

 _"Listen to me", Salvador said to the boy, trying to keep him calm. "Listen to me. It's okay. I know you're feeling hurt-"_

 _"No, you don't understand", sobbed the boy. "They told me to kill you. I don't want to, but they told me I had to. I don't want to live! I WANT TO KILL MYSELF!"_

 _"No, don't-"_

 _BANG! BANG!_

 _Anton heard his mother scream. "No! What are you doing? Stop!"_

 _BANG! BANG!_

 _Anton gasped and put a hand to his mouth to prevent any sound from escaping his throat. Suddenly, a teenage boy no more than the age of fourteen appeared in his doorway. He had wavy yellow hair and dark eyes as cruel as the devil himself. His face was tear-stained and lacked all emotion. The teenage shooter looked at the gun in his hand and walked away._

 _It wasn't until the murderer had gone that the frightened little boy with the pageboy haircut came out from his hiding place. He slowly walked out of his bedroom and into the living room, where he saw the dead corpses of his parents lying lifeless on the floor. Poor little Anton broke down in tears, as he tried desperately to wake them up from their eternal sleep._

 _"Mama, wake up! Mama, Papi, please wake up! Papi, get up!"_


	2. Car Crash

When Anton Chigurh lost his parents, he never thought that when he reached adulthood that he would become the one thing he feared most: a cold-blooded killer.

Orphaned at the tender age of five, Anton grew up into a rough childhood. Scarred from the horrible nightmares that would plague his mind forever, he kept to himself most of the time, never showing his emotions and speaking in a low, menacing voice. Throughout the years, the poisonous thoughts of murder slowly crept through his brain as he aged, waiting for just the right moment to strike, to attack, to kill.

Checking the bottom of his cowboy boots for any trace of blood, Anton Chigurh, now a professional hitman of 30 something, had made his final move in the cat-and-mouse game that had taken course over the last few days. Little did he know was that fate would soon no longer be in his command.

Driving through the suburban in total silence, Anton was suddenly blindsided by an oncoming car that ran through a red light. He felt himself slam hard against the door, as a shower of glass rained down on him and a tearing pain stabbed through his left arm.

It took him a minute to understand what had just happened. As he opened the door and stepped out of the car, Anton stumbled and groaned in pain. Standing up on shaky legs, the hitman shut the door and slowly limped over to the curb. Sitting himself down, Anton looked at his left arm and saw the long sleeve of his shirt had been ripped open. Carefully pulling back the bloodied clothing, Anton reacted mildly to the bit of broken bone that had penetrated through his skin during the impact.

Two young boys about ten and twelve years old rode up to him on their bikes and asked him if he was hurt.

"I'm all right. Let me just sit here a minute", said Anton, nonchalantly.

"Mister, you got a bone sticking out of your arm", one of the boys noted.

Hearing sirens in the distance, Anton looked at the boys for a minute and asked one of them, "What do you take for the shirt?"

"Hell, mister. I'll give you my shirt", said the boy.

Anton asked the young gentleman to tie the shirt into a sling, while he reached into his pocket for something.

The boy handed Anton the shirt that was now tied into a makeshift sling. The hitman put it over his neck and carefully placed his damaged arm into it, hoping to elevate the blood flow.

"Here", said Anton, handing the boy a one-hundred dollar bill. "Take this. Take it and...you didn't see me."

The boy took the money without hesitation, as Anton slowly got up to his feet. Limping away from the scene as though nothing had happened, the hitman looked forward and never looked back. Though he was beaten and bruised from the car accident, the only thing that mattered to him right now was to get as far away from civilization as possible. Somewhere no one would ever find him.

Several hours had past and night was starting to dim over the Western landscape. The adrenaline he felt from the car crash was starting to wear off, but Anton knew that he could not stop now. Though he was far away from anyone seeing him out in the middle of nowhere, he was not about to risk being caught and taken down like some rotten criminal. The further he was, the safer he'd be.

Delusional from the loss of blood and the heat of the sun, Anton finally collapsed onto his knees somewhere on the outskirts of Odessa. Groaning in pain, the hitman started to breathe heavily and looked at his arm, the shirt-sling now completely drenched in his own blood. Despite his knowledge of medicine, Anton knew damn well that the seriousness of his injuries were now likely to put him out of his occupation. Whether it would be just for a few months or permanent, he was afraid to know. He had personally managed to heal his own leg wound just a few days ago, but never before had he ever experienced anything like this. A few cuts and a bruised eye were nothing, but an open fracture was something far beyond his control. Without medical aid, he was likely to die.

A feeling of dizziness was starting to take control of him, as a white light suddenly shined in front of him. Half-conscious, Anton slowly looked up and tried to see who it was. His vision turned into a series of blurs that could barely make out the silhouette of another human being before everything went black.

Slipping in and out of consciousness, Anton could hear the sound of his own rapid breathing and weak heartbeat. He opened his eyes and found himself staring up at the ceiling of a car. Once in a while, he heard the sound of a woman's voice speaking to him, but he could not make out what she was saying. He blacked out again and when he came through, Anton felt a slender hand carefully run across his left arm and the bone that stuck out of it. "No, please", he heard himself say. He opened his eyes and saw the face of a young lady appear before him. Her long hair like brown silk, her eyes blue as turquoise. Her lips moved, but no sound came from her throat. The last thing he remembered was a damp cloth washing away the blood from his face, before a needle of morphine sent him off into the deep tranquility of sleep.


	3. Elena

When Anton woke up the next morning, he found himself lying in a bed in a motel room. He sat up slowly and groaned, feeling a slight pain in his left arm. He looked down at himself and found his left arm was now in a proper sling. Looking to his left, Anton saw a first aid kit sitting on a chair near the window. The curtains were closed, blocking the stifling heat out of the cool, dark room. Glancing down, the hitman saw a pillow and blanket were thrown onto the floor, forming something of a bed.

The door to the bathroom opened.

Anton turned his head right and found himself staring at a young woman in her mid 20s wrapped in a towel, her brown hair damp from a shower.

"You're awake", she said to him, a hint of a smile on her face.

Anton stared at her for a minute and asked her, "Where am I?"

"We're in a motel just outside of Odessa", she said.

"How long was I out for?"

"You've been unconscious all night", the woman answered him. "You suffered an open fracture in your left forearm. I set the bone back in place and stitched your wound as best I could."

"You're a doctor?" Anton asked her.

"No, I'm a nurse", said the woman. "What's your name?"

"What business is it of yours who I am?" Anton snarked at her.

The woman shook her head and said, "That's not the question I asked you. What is your name?"

Anton looked down at himself again and realized he was shirtless. The woman must have obviously taken off his clothes to check him over for other injuries. He looked back up at her again and asked, "Where are my clothes?"

"I'm not gonna help you any further unless you help me", she said. "What is your name?"

The hitman stayed silent for a minute. He tried thinking up an alias, but nothing came to mind. With his current condition and no weapon on his person, the hitman considered himself screwed. "Anton."

With that said, the young woman walked over to the dresser on the other side of the room and pulled open the top drawer. She walked over to Anton and handed him a neatly-folded shirt and pants. She then smiled at him and said, "My name is Elena Olmsted", before turning around and heading back into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.

 _Great, I'm being held hostage by a crazy woman_ , Anton thought to himself. He pulled the blanket off of him and looked at his legs. A minor scratch and an ugly bruise had formed on the outside of his left thigh. The bandaging on the buckshot wound he had received a few days ago had been removed, revealing a hole in his leg that had been patched up and was still healing, the stitching made by his own hands.

Anton placed his feet onto the floor and reached over for his clothes. Just as he picked up his pants with his right hand, Elena walked out of the bathroom, clothed in a short-sleeved, green and white gingham shirt and sand-colored pants. Her hair was tied back into a high ponytail. She walked over to Anton and sat down next to him. "Here. Let me help you with that."

"I didn't ask for your help", Anton told her.

"No, but you need it", Elena told him, firmly.

Staring at her with emotionless eyes and a stoic expression, Anton allowed her to do whatever she had to to assist him. When Elena temperately removed the sling, Anton looked at where the bone had broken through his skin and saw that it was now covered by bloodied bandages. An arm splint was also wrapped around his wrist.

"How bad is it?" Anton asked her.

"It doesn't look too bad", said Elena, helping him into his shirt. "Your left eye is bruised and you have a cut on your head, but that was nothing I couldn't fix. I called a doctor friend of mine in Brainerd and she said as long as there's no signs of infection, your arm should be all right."

"Brainerd?" Anton asked her.

"Yeah, in Minnesota", Elena explained, buttoning up his shirt. "I was heading back there when I found you lying on the side of the road. How did you get into this mess anyway?"

"I don't know", said Anton.

Elena looked into his eyes and asked him, "You don't know or you don't remember?"

The man with the pageboy haircut said nothing, his expression non-changing.

After waiting a minute and receiving no answer, Elena reached over to grab his pants and said to him. "Well, however it happened, you're lucky you didn't need a blood transfusion."

While Elena helped him put on his pants, Anton felt like a child being dressed by his mother. As much as this conversation was starting to annoy him, the hitman could not help but feel a sense of respect and honor for this young woman, whoever she was.

After putting the sling back on him, Elena helped Anton with his boots. "I know what you're thinking", she said to him. "A woman like me finds an injured man out in the middle of nowhere and she doesn't take him to a hospital?" Elena looked Anton in the eye and said to him, "I know the basics on how to take care of an open fracture, so I figured I could do it myself."

Anton blinked and said to her, "What I don't understand is what business does a nurse from Brainerd have doing in Odessa."

"I'm on vacation", Elena answered. "I was driving back home when I found you."

"You already said that", Anton told her. All of a sudden, he placed his right hand over his wound and let out a painful groan.

"All right. Just a minute."

Elena stood up and walked over to the other end of the room. She picked up a plastic cup from off the dresser and went into the bathroom to fill it with water. She walked out and back over to Anton, placing the cup on the nightstand next to the bed. Elena then opened her first aid kit and took out a bottle of pain reliever, taking out a white caplet. She turned back to Anton and said to him, "Here, take this. It will help with your pain."

Anton took the pain reliever into his mouth and allowed Elena to give him a sip of water.

"How long?" Anton asked her, indicting the length of recovery.

"Two months, maybe three", Elena answered. "Your arm might be a little bit stiff, but right now, it's best if it remains immobile. There's no risk of paralyzation, if that's what you're worried about, but if you want to, I can take you to an emergency room."

"No", said Anton, standing up. His towering height loomed over her. "You've already done your part and that's all that matters. Do you understand?"

Elena looked at him for a minute and nodded her head and said, "Okay...Well, then, I'm prepared to offer you a choice. Either I can give you a ride back to your house and you can manage your injuries by yourself." Elena paused and carefully placed her hands on his upper arms. "Or, if you wouldn't mind, it would mean a lot to me if you were to accompany me back to Brainerd. I could look after you until your arm gets better."

Anton looked at her for a minute and said nothing. It was very clear to him that this woman had no idea what she was doing or getting herself into with him.

Elena allowed her hands to drop to her sides and said to Anton, "You're a man of very little words, you know that?" She nodded her head and turned around, saying, "Well, I need to ask the manager about a map, so you just stay here and think it over. I'll be right back."

After Elena left the room, Anton walked over to the door and locked it. A sea of questions swam through his mind as he tried to speculate the situation he was in and who on Earth this woman was. If she was smart, she would have turned him in by now, and yet she hadn't. Perhaps she wasn't aware of his murderous actions. She was not a local girl, that was certain. If anything, she was an angel, a virgin dove compared to this crow, an agent of Death.

Lost in his own thoughts, Anton thought over the situation carefully. His near-fatal collision had almost cost him his life, but even more unfortunate, it seemed he was now out of a job. Though he was not one for religion, Anton had often heard it said that God brought people into their lives for a reason. Was this Elena woman the answer to _his_ problem? Yes, she had saved his life, but of what use was she to him? If he followed this woman to Minnesota, several states away from the scenes of his crimes and somewhere nobody knew him, Anton could possibly start a new life there once his arm had healed. Once his arm was better, he would be back to his killer self. Perhaps he would even let Elena choose her fate without the flip of a coin.


	4. A Home in Brainerd

A few minutes later, Elena returned and was about to open the door, only to find Anton standing in the doorway, giving her a fright.

"All right. I'll go with you", Anton said to her.

Elena blinked and raised her eyebrows at him. "Really?" She asked him, surprised.

"On one condition", said Anton, his voice gentle, but somewhat demanding. "Don't expect me to be your friend. Once my arm has healed, I'm gone."

Elena eyed him for a minute and said, "Yeah, sure."

In no time at all, both the hitman and the nurse started on the long drive to Brainerd in a blue 1975 Volkswagen Beetle. An hour had past before either one of them spoke and Elena thought this would be the perfect opportunity to get to know her new patient.

"So, you married?" Elena asked him.

"No", said Anton, not looking at her.

"You have any kids?"

"No."

Elena looked at Anton and examined him with her eyes, before asking him, "So, what do you do for a living?"

Anton looked at her for a second and then at his arm. "Currently unemployed", he said.

Elena focused her gaze back on the road and said, "Sorry I asked." She then turned up the radio, keeping it on a low volume in hopes that the music would make the drive feel less awkward for her. She could tell instantly that this man was not one for conversation.

A few hours went by and neither one of them spoke, until Anton broke the silence.

"You're how old?" Anton asked her.

Elena looked at him, surprised. "Me? I'm 24", she answered, before focusing back on the road.

"You live by yourself?" Anton looked at her.

"Yep", said Elena.

"You have no family?" Anton asked her.

"I have a cousin in Brainerd, but she's more like a mother to me", said Elena.

Anton looked back at the road and said nothing else for the rest of the day.

After stopping to rest at a hotel in Wakita, Oklahoma, for the night, Anton and Elena started back on the road early in the morning. It was still twelve hours to Brainerd.

After a long silence, Anton looked at Elena and spoke to her, "You said you were a nurse. Did you ever finish medical school?"

Elena looked at him. "Yeah, why?"

"I'm curious about you, that's all", said Anton.

Elena focused her gaze back onto the road and said, "Yes, I am a certified nurse, if that is what you're wondering. I know I should have taken you to a hospital and let a professional fix your arm, but with the skills I learned, I figured I could do it myself."

"Yes, you said that", Anton reminded her.

Elena looked at him again and asked nervously, "You won't tell anyone, will you?"

"I wouldn't worry about it", said Anton.

Elena looked at the road ahead of her and took a deep breath, tapping her fingers on the wheel. "Well, no skin off my neck there, then", she said.

Anton said nothing and just stared at her for a minute. He saw no reason why she would be ashamed of her involvement in fixing his arm, seeing how it was part of a nurse's job to take care of injured people. This woman knew what she had done was not part of her line of profession, yet she decided to do it anyway. He wondered about that. Some part of him told him he shouldn't trust her, yet something in the back of his mind told him not to hurt her, like a distant voice calling out to him to spare her life for a better purpose in the near future. If this was the voice of fate speaking to him, Anton would surely listen to it and not bring any harm to Elena.

At 6:39 p.m., they arrived in Brainerd. Elena drove them through the downtown area and past the outskirts of the city, heading out towards the woodland terrain. Turning right, Elena drove them down a trail that led to a little white house near the river. She looked at Anton and said to him with a smile, "Welcome home."

Anton stepped out of the car and looked at the house from where he stood. It was a single story house, possibly a two bedroom unit, complete with a swinging bench on the front porch. He would have thought she lived in a home in the suburbs, but luckily for the hitman, at least she lived far away in a remote location where nobody would ever suspect to find him.

Elena picked up her bag from the back seat and started heading towards the front porch. Anton followed behind and asked her, "This is your house?"

"I know it doesn't look like much, but you can't always judge a book by its cover, right?" Elena set her bag down and pulled her keys out from her pocket.

Unlocking the door, Elena picked up her bag and stepped inside. "Hello, house! I'm home!" She called out, answering to an empty residence.

Anton stepped in after her and briefly glanced around the living room, before following Elena towards the back of the house. She opened the first door on the left and said to him, "You can sleep in here."

Anton stepped into the room and eyed the details of the interior. The walls were a vibrant orange with pink gossamer curtains draped over the snow-white window frame. A portrait of an angel overlooking two children hung on the far right side of the room next to the bed, which was covered by a rose pattern bedspread. On the left side of the bed, a Barbie snow globe and a Felix the Cat doll sat on top of the nightstand. In the left corner of the room was a small shelf filled with children's books and a vanity with a little jewelry box on the left side of the closet.

"Now while you're here I only have two rules", Elena spoke to him, in a firm tone of voice.

Anton turned his head left and looked at her, her expression was serious.

"One: no smoking or drug usage of any kind. And two: no violence." Elena smiled and said to him in a cheerful manner, "Other than that, feel free to make yourself at home. I'll fix us something to eat."

Elena existed the bedroom and went to put her bag away, leaving Anton to glance back at the brightly-colored bedchamber. This was not his idea of a guest room, but it would have to do.

Later that night, after a small meal, Elena removed Anton's shirt and sling, and covered his arm in new bandages. She then had Anton wait for her in the guest room.

A few minutes later, a knock on the door signaled her return.

"Come in", said Anton.

Elena entered into the bedroom, wearing a white nightgown and carrying a pair of dark gray pajamas. "These should fit you", she said, sitting down next to Anton. "If I have time after work tomorrow, I can see about finding you some clothes."

"What time do you go to work?" Anton asked her.

"My shift doesn't start until nine", Elena answered, as she helped him take off his boots and black jeans.

"What time do you get off?"

"Depending on how many patients come in each day, I don't get off until about five, sometimes eleven at night." Elena looked at him and said, "My main concern, however, is are _you_ going to be okay without me for that long?"

"I survived 31 years without you", Anton answered her. "I think I can manage."

Elena nodded her head and said, "Okay. Well, just to be safe, I'll have everything set up for you tomorrow before I leave."

After helping him into his nightwear, Elena put the sling back on Anton and then helped him into bed.

"You rest easy tonight", Elena said to him, pulling the blankets up to his chest.

"You know I'm not a child, don't you?" Anton said to her, looking a bit irritated.

Elena glared at him and said in a gentle voice, "I'm fully aware of that, but with your arm hurt the way it is, you can't perform certain tasks on your own. I'm not saying you're weak, but the least you can do is let me help you."

Anton paused for a minute and sighed to himself. "I have no way to thank you", he said.

"Oh, I don't care about that", Elena said to him, making sure he was tucked in nice and warm. "As long as you get better, that's all that matters to me. I want you to rest as much as possible." Elena then placed her hand on the right side of his face and said, "Good night, Anton."

Elena stood up and was about to head out the door, until Anton sat up and said to her, "Good night...Elena."

Elena turned around and looked at him, before Anton lied himself back down. She gave him a warm smile before shutting the door behind her.

Anton lied there for a few minutes staring up at the ceiling, before turning his head right and looking towards the open window, a gentle breeze made the transparent curtains flutter a bit. 48 hours ago, he was a hitman on the run. Now he was a just an ordinary man with a broken arm being taken care of by this woman. _You're not weak_ , she said to him, but what if it was true? With the ability in his left arm restricted, Anton feared he would soon have no choice but to give up contract killing. Was this fate's way of telling him his time as a hitman was up?

Turning his attention back to the ceiling, Anton closed his eyes and tried to sleep it off. He would think about it in the morning.


	5. A Fatal Mistake?

The next morning, Elena woke up around seven o'clock and went into the kitchen and started making breakfast. She made some coffee and took two pieces of bread and put them into the toaster. She then turned around and took out a carton of milk from the fridge and noticed Anton was standing in the entrance of the kitchen, watching her.

"Oh, good morning", Elena greeted him. "I trust you slept well?"

"Yes, I did", said Anton.

"That's good", said Elena. "Um, why don't you take a seat? Breakfast will be ready in a minute."

Anton walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table. Elena walked back over in time to set the carton on the counter and remove the toast from the toaster and set them down on two separate plates. She then poured some coffee into two mugs and turned to Anton and asked him, "Do you take cream or sugar with your coffee?"

"No, thank you", said Anton.

Elena opened the carton and poured a bit of milk into her own mug. She went to put the carton back into the fridge and walked back over to the counter and picked up the mugs and carried them over and set them on the table. She turned around and walked over to the stove and took an egg from a porcelain bowl and cracked it open and let the yolk drop into the frying pan.

"I don't suppose you have any neighbors?"

"No", said Elena, as she cracked open another egg and dropped it into the pan. "I'm a loner, I prefer to be alone."

Anton sipped his coffee and set his mug down without ever taking his eyes off her.

Afterwards, Elena put some eggs onto the two plates and walked over and set them down on the table, before taking a seat opposite from Anton.

"How's your arm?" Elena asked him.

"It's all right", Anton answered her.

"Good", said Elena.

Both of them sat there in silence over breakfast. Elena had hoped to learn more about her newest patient and house guest, but she had already discovered during the long drive from Texas that he was not one for conversations. She was curious to know more about him, but figured it was best not to ask him anything. Anton did not mind the silence so much, yet he could tell from the expression on her face that she was just dying for a bit of companionship. That melancholy look in her eyes as she avoided his gaze and stared down at her plate indicated to him a hint of loneliness. She _did_ save his life, after all. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt for him to enlighten her with a bit of friendly chat. As long as she refrained herself from asking personal or stupid questions, he was more than willing to humor her.

"Have you lived here all your life?" Anton asked her.

Elena looked up from her plate and asked him, "Pardon?"

"I asked you if you've lived here all your life", said Anton.

"In this house or in Brainerd?"

"What's the difference?"

"Well, I've only lived here for a couple of years", Elena explained, as she took a sip of her coffee. "I mean, I've lived in Brainerd all my life, but when my uncle died, my cousin and I had to sell his house. When I was going to medical school, I stayed with her and her husband until I started saving up enough money to purchase a place of my own."

"You're a bit young to have taken an interest in medical science, aren't you?" Anton asked her, as he took a bite of toast.

"Not really", Elena answered. "You see, when I was a little girl, my uncle took me on this camping trip once. I wondered off and started climbing up this big tree, but then I missed a branch and fell and broke my arm. He took me to the hospital and I got my arm put into a cast. At that point, I decided I wanted to become a doctor when I grew up so I could help people. During my high school years, I just became so fascinated with the world of medicine, I started reading everything I could about injuries and diseases."

"But you never got that occupation?" Anton asked her.

"No", Elena answered, taking another sip. "Originally, I was planning on becoming a doctor, but then there was an incident at the school and I decided to change courses. I'd rather not say what it was that made me choose a different path, so to speak, but after four years of hard studying, my education finally paid off and I got my nursing diploma."

"And you're not afraid of blood?"

"No. I mean, it's not that I can't handle the sight of blood or anything. Heck, my cousin Marge is the chief of police. I'm sure she's seen grizzlier things than I have."

Anton's stoic demeanor seemed to change all of a sudden. His skin turned pale and his eyes grew with fright. Not that Elena noticed, even when he choked on his food. "Your cousin is a cop?" He asked her, regaining his calm composure. He felt that if he showed his fear of the authorities to her now, he would loose his power of control over the situation.

"Yeah, she's a cop", Elena answered him. "Marge and her husband met each other while working on the police force together. One time, there was this robbery at the bank and Norm called for backup, but when he tried to pursue the criminals on foot, he tripped and sprained his leg. They would have blown his head off if Marge hadn't shot them in the leg first. A few months after that, Norm proposed and Margie said yes. They've been together for four years now."

"Your cousin is a cop", Anton acknowledged.

"Yes, but you don't have to worry about Margie", Elena reassured him with a smile. "She's the kindest, sweetest, most friendliest person in all of Brainerd."

"I didn't say it had anything to do with kindness", Anton informed her.

Elena's smile disappeared all of a sudden. "What is it then?"

"You're not afraid something bad might happen to her?" Anton asked her.

"No, if I know Marge, she can take care of herself", Elena answered, taking a bite of some eggs. "She's six years older than me. She's been able to take care of herself since she was five."

Just at that moment, the phone in the living room rang. Elena downed the rest of her coffee and said, "Excuse me", before she got up and went to answer it.

Anton sat there in silence, analyzing the circumstances of his predicament and feeling the hand of fate being placed upon his shoulder yet again, as if to say he was fucked.

A few minutes later, Elena helped Anton back into his clothes and gave him some pain medication for his arm.

"They changed my shift this morning, so I won't be home until late tonight", Elena said to Anton, who stood in the doorway of the bathroom and watched her, as she stood in front of the mirror and tied her hair back into a high ponytail. She had already changed into a white nurse dress. Elena turned to exit the bathroom and Anton allowed her to pass by him. Elena walked out of the bathroom and motioned for him to follow her.

"Now, if your arm starts hurting again, I left a couple of painkillers on the kitchen table", Elena informed him, as they walked down the hall and into the living room. She turned around and looked at him. "My work number is by the phone in case of emergency. If you can't reach me, try calling Norm or Marge. One of them usually answers. There's plenty of food, so help yourself. Feel free to use the television and record player, just please make sure you put the albums back in the right sleeve. And if the generator blows out-"

"You have a bit of a mouth on you, don't you?" Anton interrupted.

Elena paused for a minute and said, "I'm sorry. It's just that I've never had a house guest before. I wish I could do more for you, but this is the best I can offer."

"You worry too much", Anton noted.

Elena shrugged her shoulders and said, "Well, that's one way of putting it."

"There's no other way to put it. That's the way it is", said Anton.

Elena nodded and said, "Right." She turned around and picked up her purse and keys off the coffee table. She turned again and looked at Anton once more and put her hands on his shoulders. "Have a nice day", she said, before she turned around and headed out the door.

Anton stood there for a minute, before he walked over to the window and pulled back the curtains a bit. He saw Elena standing on the porch, a look of hesitation painted her face as she turned around to face the door. Just when she was about to reach her hand for the doorknob, Elena shook her head and proceed to head for her car.

Once she was gone, Anton was left alone by himself for the next several hours. He turned around and looked over at a nearby shelf, where a series of pictures housed themselves above a collection of record albums. Anton walked over to the shelf and picked up one of the photographs that showed a chipper-looking little girl with honey blond hair and ocean blue eyes holding a baby in her arms. He did not need to guess that the infant was Elena. Anton glanced at the pictures again and saw a nursing diploma displayed next to an image of Elena in a graduation cap and gown. The photo next to that one was a picture of her wearing a bridesmaid gown and standing next to a woman in a wedding dress that looked a little bit older than her. Was this the cousin she had spoken to him about? Judging by the photo in his hand, he wouldn't have been surprised if the little girl turned out to be her.

Anton set the frame back on the shelf and turned around and went to turn on the television. The program switched on to an old black and white comedy show from 1965. He went over to sit down on the couch, but just as he was about to make himself comfortable, Anton looked down at the coffee table and picked up an opened envelope that sparked his curiosity. Reading the address on the front, it showed to be from an adoption agency.

Once she arrived at the hospital, Elena was confronted by a tall, thin man with dark, curly hair and light blue eyes dressed in a white medical coat.

"Hello, Miss Olmsted."

Elena turned around and smiled at him. "Hello, doctor."

Dr. Martin L. Benedict was an oncologist.

"What have we got today?" Elena asked him, as Dr. Benedict handed her a clipboard. She checked it over briefly, before she looked back at him and said, "Okay. I'll see what I can do."

Elena walked into one of the rooms and saw a pale-skinned little girl with brown hair and dark brown eyes sitting up in bed, reading a book.

"Hello, Sophia", Elena greeted her.

The little girl looked to her left and said, "Hello, Nurse Olmsted."

Sophia set her book aside, as Elena walked over to her and set the clipboard down on the tray table.

"How was your vacation?" Sophia asked her.

"It was nice", said Elena. "Did you get the postcard I sent you?"

"Yep", Sophia answered. "Did you meet lots of people?"

"Oh, I met a few", said Elena. "I made a friend."

"Is it a boy or a girl?" Sophia asked her.

Elena looked at Sophia with a modest smile and said, "Actually, he's a man."

"That's nice", said Sophia.

"Okay". Elena put a stethoscope around her neck and said, "Now I'm gonna check your heartbeat. I need you to take a few deep breaths for me."

Sophia did as Elena told her and repeated the same action three times.

"Okay." Elena removed the stethoscope and picked up her clipboard to write something down. "Everything seems good. So, how are you feeling?"

"I'm a little bit tired today", said Sophia. "I didn't sleep so good last night."

"I'm sorry."

Sophia hugged Elena around her middle and said to her, "I missed you."

"I know, sweetie", said Elena. "But I'm back now." She looked at Sophia and asked her, "Have you heard from your father at all?"

Sophia said nothing, but lowered her eyes and shook her head.

Elena brushed the bangs from the seven year old's forehead and said, "Okay. I'll have Dr. Benedict look over your charts and see what we can do today", before walking out of the room.

Sophia looked to her right and reached over for her plush shark, before lying down and turning over on her left side. She sighed contently and said to herself, "Finally."

Meanwhile, back at the house, Anton was busy studying the guest room. He stood in the doorway, taking in the details just like he had done the day before. He walked over to the vanity and opened the little wooden box, which had a beaded bracelet and a heart-shaped plastic ring inside of it. He closed the lid and turned to open the closet. Upon further inspection, he found several T-shirts, jeans, and dresses that would fit a little girl. Anton closed the closet door and went over to sit down on the left side of the bed. He pulled open the top drawer on the dresser and found several pairs of small undergarments and socks, along with two pairs of shorts. Anton closed the drawer and stood up, walking over to the door, before he turned around and took in the interior design one last time. He should have known the minute he set foot into the room that something was not right with this place, or this woman that he was with. Despite the evidence, there were no photographs of a child anywhere in the house and Elena said she had no family of her own, so whatever secrets she was hiding, the hitman would soon find out eventually.

Around two o'clock, Elena took her lunch break and met up with her coworker, Mary Hartman, an attractive blonde woman of short stature. They met up at a restaurant not too far from the hospital. Elena told Mary all about her time in Texas, but kept the existence of her current patient to herself.

"So, was it hot there?" Mary asked her.

"Yeah, it was, but I couldn't complain", said Elena. "You should visit there sometime, Mary. I think you'd like it."

"Oh, no. Not me", Mary insisted, shaking her head. "The hottest place I'd be willing to vacation to is North Carolina."

"Wasn't your dad stationed in North Carolina?" Elena asked her.

"No, South. Oh, that reminds me!" Mary reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper and handed it across to Elena and asked her, "Do you remember a Dr. Williams?"

Elena gave her an uncomfortable look upon hearing that name. "Professor Williams from medical school?" She asked her.

Mary shrugged her shoulders and said, "I guess so. He called yesterday and asked for you, but you were gone. I told him you'd call him just as soon as you got back."

Elena looked at the phone number written on the note and chuckled a little and said, "Okay, I will give him a call right away."

Elena stood up and went over to the counter and paid for her food and walked out. She went to the nearest telephone booth and shut the door and looked down at the number, frowning. She tore it in half and tossed the pieces over her shoulder. She pulled out a quarter from her pocket and picked up the phone and put the coin into the slot. She dialed a different number and waited until a woman's voice answered on the other end.

" _Hello?_ "

"Hi, Margie! It's Elena."

" _Hiya, El! Howya doin'?_ "

"Fine. I just got back home from Texas last night."

" _Oh, yah? How was it?_ "

"Great. Not only that, but I brought home a friend."

" _Oh, did ya now?_ "

"Yeah."

" _Well, why doncha bring him over tonight and we can meet him?_ "

"Uh, he's kinda feeling under the weather right now, Marge. How does next weekend sound?"

 _"Oh, yah, that works fine._ "

"Great! If you can supply the eggs, I'll supply the steaks."

" _Sure, you betcha._ "

"Okay, see you later, Marge."

" _Okay. Bye, El._ "

"Bye bye."

Elena hung up the phone and turned to exit the telephone booth and opened the door and walked out and went back to the hospital.


	6. Lethal Weapons and Coin Tossing

Anton opened the door to Elena's room and stood in the doorway, looking around the bedroom, right to left. The walls were pale blue, adding a sense of peace and tranquility. The bed was covered by a simple green bedspread and had a dark brown nightstand next to it on the right side. An antique lamp stood on top of it, along with a Bible and an alarm clock that read 3:17. Glancing over, the hitman saw a vase of fake yellow roses nested on the windowsill, and a tall dark dresser stood in the left corner of the room by the closet, where three small bottles of cheap perfume aligned themselves underneath an oval mirror that hung overhead.

Anton walked over to the tall dresser and picked up the bottles of perfume one by one and smelled them, each one a different scent. Ocean. Vanilla. Spearmint. He then turned towards the closet and opened the door, examining her clothes with his eyes. The hitman closed the door and turned his attention over to the Bible sitting on top of the nightstand, as he walked over and sat down on the right side of the bed. Anton picked up the Holy Scripture and placed it on his lap, opening the page that was bookmarked by an envelope. The address was from a Donald Kerabatsos who lived in Los Angeles.

Anton placed the Bible back on the nightstand and pulled open the top drawer, only to stand up right away. Much to his surprise, he found a Beretta 92 pistol lying on top of Elena's clothes. Of what use did a nurse have for a gun was beyond him. Was she truly crazy like he had thought? Or did she posses the weapon by means of protection? Anton turned his head left and looked towards the window, listening in case anyone was around. Only the sound of birds singing could be heard in the distance. He looked back at the gun lying on top of Elena's underthings and thought to himself on whether or not to take it. He had lost his silenced shotgun in the wreck back in Odessa and had no other weapons to defend himself with. Not that he thought himself in any danger, but should this woman ever find out about his profession, Anton could easily kill her with the Beretta, even with his left arm temporarily disabled. She had already seen his face, and even though he had already promised himself he would not hurt Elena, Anton Chigurh preferred to think of himself as nothing more than a ghost. A phantom of the past. Regardless of his morals, Anton knew damn well that without her help in his road to recovery, he would be useless as a hitman later on in the future. If he killed her now, what benefit would there be in it for him? Keeping himself to his word, Anton closed the drawer and walked out of the bedroom as if nothing had happened.

Walking back out into the living room, Anton turned off the television, before turning his attention to a painting of two sparrows hanging up on the wall. The simple, yet beautiful detail of the artistry added a nice homely touch to the lonely residence. Turning his head right, Anton looked down at the phonograph that held a vinyl record entitled _Black Death by Arrogance_. He turned on the switch and brought the tonearm over, setting the needle gently onto the record. Turning the volume down, the house soon filled with the sound of hard rock.

At 10:37 that night, the blue Volkswagen pulled up into the driveway. Elena got out of the car and walked up to the front door, carrying a paper bag from Arby's in her hand. She unlocked the door and walked into the house, only to find Anton sitting on the couch. The news was on the television.

"Hello", Elena greeted him, shutting the door behind her. She walked over and sat down next to Anton, who looked at her. "Sorry I'm late", said Elena, taking out a couple of roast beef sandwiches from the bag and setting them down on the coffee table. "Things got kind of held up at the hospital."

"Rough day?" Anton asked her.

"Oh, I can't complain", said Elena. She looked at Anton and asked him, "How was your day?"

"Stimulating", said Anton.

Elena crumpled up the bag and said, "I'll get us a couple of drinks", as she stood up and walked into the kitchen. She returned a minute later with two cans of orange soda and set one of them down on the coffee table, before taking a seat on the couch.

"So, what did I miss?" Elena asked, opening the soda can and placing it down in front of Anton, who had already helped himself to one of the sandwiches.

"Something about Carter", Anton answered.

"Oh, God, I hate him", said Elena, picking up the other sandwich and taking a bite.

Both of them sat there together and ate their dinner in silence, watching the late night news.

A week had passed since fate intertwined the lives of the hitman and the nurse. By now, the bruise around his left eye had disappeared, the scars around his head were healed, and the bruise and scratch on his left leg had started to fade, but his left arm still remained in a sling. It would take a few months for it to heal properly.

Elena had managed to stop by a department store to pick up some clothes for Anton, and when she asked him on what his style was, he had given her strict orders to stick to denim and dark colors. She did not fail him and succeeded in finding at least five pairs of long-sleeved, dark-colored cotton shirts, along with two pairs of dark jeans, though she thought he should at least add a little bit of color to his wardrobe, instead of looking like a humanized version of the Grim Reaper.

One day, Elena came home around five o'clock, a silky red material clutched in her hand, and walked through the front door, calling out, "Anton, I'm home!" She shut the door behind her and looked around the living room, but he was not there. "Anton?" Elena walked down the hall and opened the door to the guest room, but he was not there either. Elena walked over and set the red clothing down on the bed, before walking back out into the hall. She saw the door to the bathroom was barely ajar and gently pushed the door open, only to find Anton sitting in the bathtub, his left arm resting on the edge of the tub. His clothes and the sling were on the ground.

"You're home early", Anton noted.

Elena walked into the bathroom and said, "I asked if they could move my shift to some other time", as she looked under the sink and took out a plastic bowl. She then sat down on the edge of the tub and dipped the bowl into the steaming water. She placed a hand over Anton's eyes and poured water onto his hair.

"Your reason for doing so?" Anton asked her, his eyes still covered.

"Honestly, I just wanted to see you", said Elena. She refilled the bowl and doused his hair again. She then set the bowl on the counter and applied shampoo and conditioner to his hair, washing his hair throughly and massaging his scalp, before rinsing his hair with water for the final time. Elena then took a washcloth and laved it with soap, as she gently ran it over his shoulders and under his arms. Neither of them said anything and Anton preferred to keep it that way. He did not mind so much, as he allowed her to assist him with his bathing. Being a nurse, it was required of her to do so. Therefore, he did not protest, even when she cleaned the lower half of his body.

Afterwards, Elena helped Anton to stand up and dried his body off with a towel. For whatever reason, she avoided eye contact with him, as she knelt down and dried him off from the torso down. Her attempts at acting professional failed her, as Anton could clearly see a hint of blush in her cheeks. The dilation of her pupils and that familiar sparkle in her eye reminding the hitman of what happens when women like herself lay their eyes on a tall, dark man with a strongly built, but lean frame like his own.

Afterwards, Elena wrapped a towel around his waist and had him follow her into the guest room. Lying across the bed was a long-sleeved, red satin shirt.

"What's this?" Anton asked her.

Elena tossed his boots and the sling onto the bed, and held up the shirt for him to see. "I know you said you preferred to dress in dark colors, but I seriously think you should try something new for a change." Elena set the shirt back down on the bed and walked over to the closet. She opened the door and pushed aside the smaller girls clothes, looking through the outfits she had picked out for Anton and took out a pair of black pants. She never asked him why he never questioned her about the obvious state of the room, nor did he care at the moment.

"I'm tired of looking at you in black", said Elena, walking over to him. "It's always black with you."

"That's not true", said Anton, letting the towel drop from his waist, as he sat down on the bed.

Elena helped him put on his pants and then his boots. She then had Anton stand up, as she helped him into the red shirt. After buttoning him up, Elena adjusted his collar and stepped back to look at him. She examined Anton with her eyes and said to herself, "Uh-huh, I was right!"

After she put the sling back onto him, Anton looked at Elena with annoyance and asked her, "Don't you think this is a tad bit overdoing it?"

Elena smiled innocently at him and shrugged her shoulders. "Well, I don't know about overdoing it, but if we're going out, you want to look nice, don't you?" She then turned around and headed out of the guest room.

Anton blinked in confusion and turned his head towards the door. "We're going out?"

"Yeah!" Elena called out from her bedroom. "We're due at the Gunderson's in an hour!"

Anton walked out and stood outside of Elena's room. He leaned his back against the wall and put his right arm across his left arm, as he asked her, "When were you going to tell me about this?"

"I wanted to surprise you", Elena answered. "I called Marge about a week ago and told her we should get together sometime. It's just a simple dinner party. Nothing fancy. Anyway, I thought it was time you two should meet." A minute later, Elena came out of her room. She had changed out of her nurse's dress and was now wearing a buttoned-up white cotton shirt, black vest, and slick blue jeans. She turned around once for Anton to see and asked him, "What do you think?"

"You look all right, but I'm not going", said Anton, his eyes full of contempt. With that said, the hitman turned around and walked down the hall.

Elena frowned at his response and followed after him. "What?"

"I said, I'm not going", Anton repeated.

"No, I heard what you said-"

"Then why did you ask me again?"

"Oh, come on, Anton", said Elena, as they walked out into the living room. "You've been trapped in this house for a week. Aren't you the least bit bored yet?"

"That is not of your concern", said Anton, loosing patience.

"Uh, I hate to disagree with you, but I'd like to think that it is", Elena informed him, following him into the kitchen.

Anton turn around and looked at her with cold, dead eyes. "Since when is my entertainment a concern of yours... _amiga_?"

Elena eyed him for a minute, shocked at his behavior. She nodded her head and said to him, "Mr. Smart Eyes, huh?" She tightened her lips and reached into her pocket, as she said to Anton, "Okay. We'll decide this with a flip of a coin." She pulled out a quarter and said, "Tails, we go out. Heads, we stay home."

Just as Elena flipped the quarter into the air, Anton caught it with his right hand and placed it down on the counter, covering it with his fingers. If anyone was going to play the hands of fate, it was him.

"Call it."

Elena looked at him, confused. "What?"

"Just call it", Anton told her.

Elena put her hands behind her back and said with a confident smile, "Okay. Tails."

Anton stared at her for a minute, a look of hate and malice in those dark, vengeful eyes of his. He despised her optimistic personality and certainty over the situation. The fact that she wanted to introduce him to her law enforcement relatives was not something he was willing to do. What if it was all part of some big setup? Whether it was a simple gathering or not, Anton Chigurh was not about to make himself vulnerable and have his face be seen by another authority figure. He had attempted that once already just to see if he could escape custody by force of will, which was an over-confident move on his part. Had he failed, he would not be where he was right now. And with the condition he was in, the hitman would think himself a dead man the moment any cop laid eyes on him. Wasting no other time, Anton looked down and uncovered the coin for Elena to see. She had won.


	7. The Gundersons

As they drove down the road to the suburban area of Brainerd, Elena looked over at Anton and asked him, "You nervous?"

Anton did not look at her or say anything, keeping himself in his own miserable silence.

Judging by the uncomfortable look in his eyes, Elena could tell instantly that he was not looking forward to meeting the Gundersons. She did not understand why Anton would be so afraid of meeting them. She had spoken to him about them several times and never gave him any reason to fear them. Perhaps he was not used to social interactions or maybe even thought it was too early for him to start meeting new people. Either way, Elena thought at the very least he should meet her family.

Focusing her gaze back onto the road, Elena tapped her fingers on the wheel and said to him, "There's nothing for you to worry about. Marge is a wonderful woman and Norm is just as nice as she is. In fact, the more I think about it, he's kind of like you. Doesn't show his emotions much, prefers to keep to himself. I think you two should get along just fine."

With that in mind, Anton looked over at her and said at last, "I will decide that for myself."

Elena pulled up to the side of the Gunderson house and they both got out of the car. Elena took a brown paper bag from the back seat and they both walked around to the front of the house, where a police car was parked up next to the front porch.

 _Stay calm_ , Anton told himself. _Just act casual_.

Elena knocked on the door and waited, until a woman in a floral dress opened the door and smiled at her. "Hiya, El!"

"Hi, Margie!"

Elena walked into the house and embraced her open arm around her cousin, who hugged her back in return. Anton stepped inside and shut the door behind him, as he looked upon the two giggling women's reunion.

"Oh, Marge, it's so good to see you", said Elena.

"It's great to see you too, El."

Marge released her cousin and looked over at Anton, her smile dropping at the sight of the tall stranger, as her eyes stared up at him in awe, unaware of his murderous trail and only seeing him as just another ordinary man, even if his appearance and pageboy haircut did seem strange to her eyes.

Putting on her friendly face once again, Marge smiled at Anton and said to him, "So, you must be the Texan fella El told me about, huh?"

"Marge Gunderson, I presume?" Anton asked her.

"Oh, yes, I'm Marge", she answered, nodding her head and extending her right hand to him.

Anton extended his right hand to her and took hold of it, gripping it firmly as he shook it.

Marge smiled amusingly at him and said, "That's quite a grip ya got on ya."

"Think nothing of it", Anton told her, releasing her hand.

Elena's face beamed with excitement upon seeing the two of them interact with each other, but it was too good to last, as Marge noticed Anton's left arm was in a sling and asked him, "How'd ya hurt your arm?"

The hitman looked at the lady cop for a minute and said nothing. His cold, dark brown eyes forbidding the calming affect of her ocean blue orbs to proceed any further with this conversation.

"What business is that of yours?" Anton snarked.

Elena's smile faded at his response. Hoping to distract her from his rude question, Elena turned to Marge and asked her, "Um, is Norm around, by any chance?"

"Oh, no, you just missed him", Marge answered her. "He went out to get the salad."

"Well, good thing I brought these steaks", said Elena, handing the bag to Marge.

"Thanks a bunch", said Marge. "I'll get started on these while you and your friend make yourselves at home."

Just as Marge walked away and into the kitchen, Elena turned her head left and glared at the hitman, giving him a warning sign with her beautiful turquoise eyes by giving him the same cold look he just gave to Marge.

"What?" Anton asked her innocently.

"There's Coke in the fridge if you guys want something to drink", Marge called out to them.

Elena turned her head away from Anton and walked towards the direction of the kitchen. "Actually, Marge, let me do the cooking. Last time we had steak, you ended up-"

While the two woman were busy in the kitchen, Anton took this as an opportunity to look through the house. Dinner would not be ready for at least a half hour.

Anton walked down the hall and turned towards the bathroom on the left. He opened the door and turned on the lightswitch, before he entered the bathroom and shut the door behind him. He stared begrudgingly at his reflection in the mirror, looking over how ridiculous he thought he looked in the red satin shirt. It was already bad enough he had a broken arm. Anton opened the medicine cabinet and looked through it, eying over the many pill bottles and over-the-counter products. He then shut the cabinet and looked to his right, looking down into the small metal trashcan next to the toilet. A pregnancy test had been thrown into the wastebasket, as the results showed to be negative.

Anton walked out of the bathroom and then went down towards the bedroom at the end of the hall. He stood in front of the door and listened for any sign of sound or voice. He heard nothing. He put his hand on the doorknob and turned it slowly before pushing it open. Anton looked around the room and found nothing but a bunch of canvases and jars filled with paintbrushes. He walked over to the bed and stared at it for a minute, before he pressed his right hand down on the mattress, testing the firmness of the bed. Anton turned around and walked over to a desk with a photo album lying on top of it. He opened a few pages until he found a picture of Elena. The date on the bottom right corner showed it to be from October last year. He removed the photo from its sleeve and tucked it into his pant pocket.

Meanwhile, Elena and Marge were busy in the kitchen preparing dinner. Elena cooked the steaks and helped set the table, while Marge made the eggs and mashed potatoes. Just as Elena was cutting up one of the steaks for Anton, the two female cousins heard the front door open. A balding man walked into the kitchen and greeted them.

"Hiya, Margie", he said.

"Hiya, hon", said Marge, as her husband walked over to her and placed a kiss on her cheek.

"Hi, Norm", said Elena, walking over to him.

Norm gave her a hug and said, "How you doing, Elena?"

"I'm good, thanks", said Elena.

Norm released her and handed her a plastic bag with a container in it. "Here's the salad", he said.

"Thank you much", said Elena, taking the bag from him. "Hey, Anton, I-" Just as she turned around, Elena saw Anton was standing right behind her and gasped in surprise. She did not even hear him approach her.

"Who's this?" Norm asked her.

Elena looked back at him, nervousness spreading through her veins. "Norm, this is Anton", she answered. "He's a patient of mine."

Anton extended his hand to Norm and asked him, "How do you do?"

"Hello", said Norm, shaking hands with him.

Judging by the lack of excitement or emotion on his face, Anton could see what Elena meant when she told him about Norm from earlier before. Stoic and quiet, Norm seemed like a passable man to the hitman's eyes. Unlike the instant hatred he felt for Marge, Anton held no contempt towards her husband and saw no threat from this unassuming man.

Elena and Anton sat opposite from Marge and Norm at the dinner table, as the four of them sat there together in silence, enjoying the meal. A full five minutes went by without conversation, and so far, the hitman felt himself at ease with the people around him. As long as the evening remained silent for the rest of the time he was there, Anton promised himself that they would have no trouble from the likes of him. But, of course, that was wishful thinking.

Elena wiped her mouth with a napkin and cleared her throat, before she turned her attention to Norm and asked him, "So, how's the painting coming along?"

"It's great, actually", Norm answered.

"Oh, yah", said Marge. "In fact, Norm did this painting of a blue jay just the other day, didn't ya, hon?"

"Yah", said Norm, cutting his steak with a fork and knife. "You ever do any painting, Anton?"

The hitman looked up from his plate and asked him, "Why would that interest me?"

"No reason", said Norm, putting a piece of steak into his mouth. "I just assume every man had a hobby, that's all."

"You mean coin collecting?"

"Yah, something like that", said Norm. "Personally, I prefer ice fishing, but that's only during the wintertime."

"You find time for that between work at the police station?" Anton asked him.

"Oh, I don't work for the police anymore", said Norm.

Anton turned his head left and looked at Elena. "I thought you said they were cops."

"Well, Marge is, but Norm retired the day after they were married", Elena explained to him, spooning a mouthful of salad into her mouth. "He's a wilderness painter now."

Anton said nothing and just stared at her, confused.

"So, El tells me you're from Texas", Marge said to him. "Bet ya see a lot of action down there, huh?"

The hitman glanced over at the lady cop with cold, dead eyes and asked her, "What business is that of yours?"

Marge paused for a minute and asked him, "Sir?"

"I said what business is that of yours", Anton repeated himself.

"Well, I just figured you'd be interested in telling us more about it, seeing as you're from there", said Marge. "Must be strange being a long ways from home, don't ya think?"

"I don't know. Is it?" Anton asked her, as he took a piece of steak and put it into his mouth, chewing slowly as he stared back at Marge in silence, ignoring her question. Although he was willing to put up with whatever sort of nonsensical conversation her husband had brought up, the hitman had no interest in conversing with the likes of the female police officer. He knew better than to give into answering personal questions about his private life to any random person, even if said question was innocent.

Elena looked at him nervously, as she tried swallowing the mashed potatoes that stuck in her throat and picked up her glass of water to help her wash it down.

"Sir, you have no right to be impolite with me", said Marge, calmly. "I just asked you if you've ever seen any action where you come from."

"I haven't seen any action since the war in Vietnam", said Anton. "Cambodia was just as bad."

Elena suddenly choked on her water, as she set the glass down and put a hand on her chest. She turned to Anton and asked him, "You were in Vietnam?! What were you doing there?"

Anton looked at Elena and said to her, "Combat medic."

Elena blinked in surprise and stared at him for a minute. "I beg your pardon?"

Norm and Marge looked at each other, before Norm turned his attention back to Anton and asked him, "What was it like there?"

Anton slowly turned his gaze back to the man sitting across from him and said, "Is that what you're asking me?"

"Yah", Norm answered.

Anton looked over at Marge, who stared back at him with wonder and a curiosity that equaled her husband's.

Without even looking down, Anton pushed his half-finished plate aside and turned his attention back to Norm. "I'm only going to say this once, so don't ask me to repeat myself again", he warned him. "When I was a boy, I always wanted to become a doctor like my father was before me, but then fate decided I would run a different path in life. Throughout most of my childhood, I read up on every single medical book I could get my hands on and read them over and over again, right down to memorizing the editor's home address. When I came of age, I studied to become a medic and enlisted myself in 1968. I thought I would be ready to face the horrors of the other side of the world then, but I was wrong. Everywhere I followed, death never stopped deciding the fates of those that deserved to die and those that didn't. The violence was nothing compared to the rotting corpses I witnessed being scattered across the foreign soils like livestock in a slaughterhouse. For a long time, I had become so accustomed to the likes of the war, that the question still remained on deciding what the difference was between cattle and men. Even when I got out in 1975, death still followed me like a hungry beast drawn to the taste of blood. You do not want to know what it was like there."

Marge and Norm looked at each other after a long pause, both astounded and horrified at the disturbing details of Anton's Vietnam story, before Elena interrupted the silence and asked him, "But the war in Nam ended five years ago, didn't it?"

Anton turned his head left and looked at her. "What year were you born, Elena?"

"1956", Elena answered.

"Then you were barely a seedling when the war in Vietnam had already been going on for approximately one year", said Anton. "My childhood was already over by that time, I just didn't know it yet."

There was a short pause between the nurse and the hitman.

"Do you not know how long the war went on?" Anton asked her.

Elena shook her head and told him, "I don't really remember exactly. I mean, I was-"

"Early November 1955 to late April 1975. 19 years, 5 months, and 8 days later, the war ended. 58,000 Americans perished. And for what? Nothing."

Elena felt both confused and entranced by the level of history and knowledge this man so-proudly possessed, but there was definitely something about the way he described his experiences in Vietnam that made her wonder if this is what had caused Anton to trigger some of his rude behaviors and odd tactics.

After dinner, Norm and Anton went and sat down in the living room, watching a wilderness documentary on birds on the television. Neither one of them spoke or talked to each other, which seemed to work in both of their favors.

Meanwhile, Marge and Elena were both in the kitchen, putting away the food and washing the dishes.

Elena was busy drying a plate with a dishrag, when she looked over her right shoulder and asked her cousin, "So, what do you think of him?"

Marge opened the door to the refrigerator and put a container of food inside, as she said to Elena, "He doesn't say much, I'll give ya that." She then closed the door and asked, "Does he ever smile?"

Elena turned around, drying another plate, and said, "Not that I've ever noticed. At least, not around me, he doesn't."

"Well, I'll tell ya one thing, El", said Marge, smiling. "He certainly is a tall fella, ain't he?"

Elena smiled embarrassingly, blushing in the process. She lowered her eyes and asked Marge, "Is it that obvious?"

Marge nodded in agreement and asked her, "You like his hair?"

Elena sighed dreamily and answered, "I love his hair."

"Yah", said Marge. "Kinda like those boy bands ya like so much."

"Well, he's not exactly Malcolm Young, but I think he's handsome enough", said Elena, as she walked over to Marge and handed her the dishrag, trading spots with her. Marge walked over to the sink and finished the rest of the dishes, while Elena finished putting away the food into containers.

"So, what happened to his arm, ya know?" Marge asked her.

Elena put the last of the food into the refrigerator and closed the door. "Well, he wouldn't tell me exactly, but I think he was involved in a car accident", said Elena.

Marge turned her head and asked her, "Oh, yah?"

Elena picked up another rag and wiped the dining table with it, as she explained to Marge, "He didn't want to talk about it."

"You think he's hiding somethin'?" Marge asked her.

Elena set the rag aside and placed her hands on the table, letting out a deep sigh. "I don't know, Marge."

Marge turned her attention back to the dishes and said to Elena, "Well, hope he's not like the last guy that tried to stab you to death."

Elena looked to her right towards the direction of the living room, making sure neither Anton or Norm heard them. Both men were occupied and paid the women no attention. Elena then turned around and looked back at Marge. "Do you think I should tell him?"

Marge turned around and looked at her cousin with curious eyes. "You mean he doesn't know?"

"Does he have to know?" Elena whispered.

"Why not?" Marge asked her in a low voice. "He seems harmless enough. He might be a bit handicapped at the moment, but once his arm gets better, maybe you could hire him as a bodyguard."

Elena looked at her confused, as she shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. "What would I need a bodyguard for?"

"Well, Elena, I just get so worried about you being out there all alone by yourself", said Marge.

Although he held no interest in what they were doing, Anton caught the faint voices of Elena speaking to Marge and turned his head right, wondering what is was they where saying to each other. Whether the two women were talking about him or not, he couldn't tell. All Anton Chigurh knew was that if that feeble-minded Marge Gunderson thought she could trust him, she was surely mistaken.

Not too long after, Elena and Anton left the Gunderson house and headed back to Elena's home. As per usual, neither one of them spoke much for most of the drive, until Elena broke the silence. "So, what did you think of them?"

Anton paused for a minute and noted, "The husband doesn't say much."

"See? I told you so."

Anton looked at Elena and asked her, "What does he see in her exactly?"

Elena laughed at his question and said, "Are you kidding me? Norm loves everything about Marge. Her personality, her optimism, her bravery. The whole package deal, really."

"And they have no children?" Anton questioned.

"Well, they've been trying to have a baby, but so far, they haven't had much luck", Elena admitted, a hint of sadness in her voice. She let out a sigh and said, "Still, Norm loves Marge and Marge loves him and that's all that matters, right?"

Anton said nothing else and just stared at Elena for a minute, before he looked away from her. A certain melancholic expression casted itself upon his face, one that held both a sense of tragedy and sorrow, as a series of memories came back to haunt him, piercing his heart that he had hoped would remain ice cold for the remainder of his life due to the many sad and lonely years of a parent-less childhood.

The first memory that came to Anton's mind was back to a time when he was a little boy barely the age of five, as he sat in his father's office at the hospital and allowed him to listen to his heartbeat with a stethoscope. His young innocent self smiling up at his father, while his father smiled back at him in return. The second memory was about young Anton and his mother, as she picked up the little boy that was him and held him in her arms so he could stroke the mane of the family horse, a white Spanish stallion. The third memory was also about his mother, as she sat under a tree wearing a summer dress and laughed, as she watched her young son playing with some ducklings near a pond. The fourth and final memory showed young Anton being hugged and kissed by his father, as father and son exchange a simple conversation in Spanish.

 _"Te amo, Papi."_

 _"Yo tambien te quiero, hijo."_

Lost in his own thoughts, Anton Chigurh was not even aware that Elena was staring at him until he heard her speak.

"Anton? Are you all aright?"

Anton blinked and looked at her for a brief second, before he looked away again and said softly, "Of course."

"What were you thinking about?" Elena asked him.

Anton paused for a minute and said to her in a monotone voice, "A bad memory."

Elena looked away from him and focused her attention back onto the road. The way he answered her question made her wish she hadn't said anything to him at all. He truly was a troubled man.


	8. Of Hearts and Broken Souls

Elena decided to stay home the next day and checked over to see how Anton's arm was doing. She removed the sling from him temporarily and carefully looked over his still-healing limb. A slight pain attacked the area where the bone had protruded through his skin as she tried bending his arm, but it quickly faded away. Anton felt little to no strength in his arm, let alone his fingers, as Elena slowly straightened out his arm and asked him, "Do you feel anything?"

Anton sighed to himself and said to her, "No."

Elena placed his arm carefully into his lap and knelt in front of him, as she placed her hands on his shoulders and said to him, "Don't worry, Anton. These things take time, remember? You'll be able to use your arm again. You just have to give it a few more weeks to heal."

Anton said nothing and just stared at her with those dark brown eyes of his. He knew Elena was right, but even if or when he recovered from his injury, the hitman feared once again that he would never be half the killer he once was. What good would he be if he couldn't use both his hands to kill people anymore? Using a captive bolt gun would be no problem, but using a shotgun would be another. He refused to associate himself with using knives or any other bladed weapons, as theses methods were far too slow for a person to suffer. To him, death should be but a quick and painless matter.

Elena patted his right shoulder and stood up, as she said to him, "We'll try again some other time."

Just when she was about to reach for the sling on the couch next to him, Anton quickly grabbed it before Elena did and said to her, "I can manage this." The last thing he needed was to feel like a helpless weakling. Anton put the sling back over his neck and placed his left arm back into it, before he stood up and walked over to the window, ignoring the brunette woman and looking out at the isolation before him through the white lace curtains.

Elena looked at him sadly and sighed through her nose, before she picked up something from off the coffee table and said to him, "I'll fix you some eggs", before walking out of the living room.

Once she was out of sight, Anton turned his head and looked towards the direction of the kitchen, analyzing the tone of sadness in Elena's voice. She was only trying to help him and yet the hitman made her feel as though he had no use for her. He did not care how mild his belittlement of her was, and yet there was this uneasy feeling deep down in the pit of his stomach. Was it guilt? Perhaps, but even if he meant her no harm, Anton Chigurh would not allow himself to feel any remorse for his actions towards Elena.

Over the next two weeks, life continued on the same as it did for the hitman and the nurse. Every morning, Elena would go to work at the hospital, leaving Anton to spend most of his days alone at her house. During that time when she was out, the hitman would pass his time watching television or reading books. Although she had told him to take things easy, Anton secretly practiced moving his left arm for five minutes every hour whenever Elena wasn't home to hopefully strengthen his arm. Once a week, the two of them would go to the Gunderson residence for dinner, though Anton's perspective on Marge hadn't changed much since the first visit. Nevertheless, the hitman waited patiently for time to heal his wound.

One day, as he stood in front of the mirror shaving the rugged features of his face, Anton heard the voice of Elena asking him, "Have you always had that mole on your neck?"

The hitman paused for a minute, before turning his head left and asking her, "What of it?"

Elena, who was leaning against the bathroom doorway, shook her head and answered, "Nothing. I was just curious."

"You know what curiosity did to the cat, don't you?"

"Well, it depends on what _kind_ of cat."

"Hmm."

The hitman looked away from her and ran the razor under the faucet, rinsing it off before returning back to shaving his face.

"So, what else do you do for entertainment around here besides family visits?" Anton asked her, not looking away from his reflection.

"Well, there's plenty to do in Brainerd, but personally, I like going to the bar every once in a while", Elena answered. "We could go there tonight after I get off work."

Slowly dragging the blade down along his strong, powerful neck, Anton thought over the idea and rinsed the razor under the faucet again. "All right", he said at last, continuing with his shaving.

Elena said nothing else and stared at him for the remainder of the time, looking him over as she tilted her head to one side. The hitman did not notice.

Afterwards, Anton set the razor down on the counter and turned the faucet off. He grabbed a towel to wipe the remaining shaving cream from his face and tossed it aside, before attempting to button up his shirt single-handed.

"Here. Let me do that", Elena insisted.

Anton did not protest and allowed her to proceed with helping him button up his opened shirt.

Elena left the last two buttons undone at the top and fixed the collar on his black shirt, but not before running her fingers down his neck to touch the small hairs on his chest. Her eyes avoiding his as she did so.

Despite the look of annoyance on his face, a strange tingling sensation filled Anton's heart when she lightly ran the tips of her fingers over his exposed flesh. Whatever emotion he was starting to feel, the hitman quickly brushed it off, as he gently grabbed at Elena's wrist with his right hand, his way of telling her to stop.

Elena blinked and lifted her head, her turquoise blue eyes staring into the dark brown of his, as she looked up at the apathetic expression on his face.

Upon realizing what she had done, Elena shook her head and said, "I...I'm-I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have done that." She lowered her eyes again, this time in embarrassment.

"I didn't say you couldn't", said Anton. His deep, authoritative voice spoke to her in a surprisingly gentle tone.

"No, but it's not professional of me", Elena told him, still avoiding his gaze as she finished buttoning him up.

Just when she turned around and was about to walk away from him, Elena felt herself being held back by Anton's hand still gripping her wrist. Feeling guilty for her action, Elena turned back to look at Anton, fearing that he might be angry at her, but all he did was stare at her for a minute, before he sighed to himself and said to her, "You don't have anyone in your life, do you?"

Elena blinked and looked at him sadly. "I'm not one for browsing, Anton", she whispered softly.

The hitman released his grip on her and Elena held her arms across her chest, looking at him with mist in her eyes, before she walked out of the bathroom and down the hall.

Anton stepped out into the hallway and watched Elena turn towards the direction of the living room. He heard the jingle of keys, followed by the sound of the front door shutting. She did not even bother saying goodbye. Was it because she felt she had embarrassed herself in front of him? That she had made a spectacle of herself by touching him? That was foolishness! The hitman knew exactly what Elena was trying to do and yet she, herself, had tried to deny it. All because she was afraid to admit her true feelings for him. He had seen that familiar look on her face only once before. The faint tint of blush to her cheeks, that passionate fire in her eyes. The fact that she had let her guard down for a brief moment was of no surprise to Anton. And yet, the hitman found himself strangely amused by the slight caress of his healer's touch. No woman had ever made him feel like that. Never. Anton looked down at his left arm and placed his right hand over where he had suffered a compound fracture almost a month ago. If it hadn't been for Elena, he might not even still be alive. And for that, he was grateful to her. He did not want to admit it, but he was slowly starting to have feelings for Miss Olmsted.

Later that night, Elena returned home and changed into a summer dress that matched the color of her eyes, before she and Anton headed into Brainerd for the night. They both went into the bar and sat down at a table. A friendly waitress came up to them with notepad and pencil in hand, and asked the duo would she could get for them.

"A bottle of the best damn beer you have", said Anton.

"Make that two", Elena added.

The waitress wrote it down and walked away to place their orders.

During that time while they waited, Elena sat there in silence with her head hung low, twiddling her fingers in her lap. Anton tilted his head slightly to the right, examining her with his eyes, as though he was trying to figure out exactly what was going on in her mind. Elena looked to her right and tucked a strand of hair nervously behind her ear, before slowly bringing her gaze to meet with his.

"Why do you avoid looking at me?" Anton asked her.

"I guess I'm still embarrassed about what happened this morning", Elena admitted. She lowered her eyes again and said to him, "I wasn't trying to make you feel uncomfortable or anything. I was just making on observation, that's all. I don't know how to explain it, Anton. When I'm around other people, I feel fine. But when I'm around you, I feel..."

Just when she lifted her head to look back up at him again, Elena saw that the dark-clothed man with the pageboy haircut was ignoring her completely, looking over to his right with a sort of irritated expression on his face.

"Anton?" Elena asked him.

"Those men are staring at me", he said, not looking at her.

Elena turned around and saw a group of just-turned eighteen year olds snickering to each other. The brunette young woman glared at them, before she looked back at Anton and said to him, "Don't worry about them. They're just a bunch of potheads."

The waitress soon returned with two bottles of beer and set them down on the table in front of them.

Elena opened up both bottles and handed one over to Anton. "As I was saying, they're just a bunch of potheads", she continued, taking a sip of beer. "Last month, I caught them smoking dope outside of the hospital building when they weren't suppose to. I reported it to Marge and she and Officer Lou took care of the rest. Unless it's caffeine, I don't support drugs."

"Smart girl", said Anton, looking back at Elena. "But I still do not appreciate the observation of them looking at me as if I were a freak."

"You're not a freak", said Elena. "Trust me, Anton. There are people here in Brainerd who are far more stranger than you."

"Name three", Anton dared her, taking a drink of beer.

Elena turned her head right and pointed to another end of the bar. "You see that red-headed woman over there?"

Anton turned his head left and saw a red-headed woman about ten years older than him playing a card game with two older gentlemen and a young blonde man. She wore heavy makeup and had fancy silver hoops in her ears. "That's Anneliese Erikson", Elena explained to him. "She came here about fifteen years ago and started out as a barmaid. One night, the owner challenged her to a game of poker and she won. Eventually, the two of them got married and Annaliese started making a reputation for herself. She comes down here every Friday night to play poker and wins almost every single time, hence why we call her the Gambler Lady. She's a bit eccentric, but her husband loves her for her free spirit and hospitality."

"Where is she from?" Anton asked her, looking back at Elena, who shrugged her shoulders and answered, "Somewhere south, I think. I wouldn't know. I never asked her."

As Elena took another sip of her beer, Anton looked back over at the Gambler Lady, who laughed with the older men at a joke the young blonde man had just told them. She glanced over her right shoulder and looked over at Anton, smiling as she waved at him. The dark-eyed hitman could have sworn he had seen her face before, though nothing came to his mind.

"The other two freaks in this town are Nathan, who sells fruit right across from the cinema, and the other one is-"

Wishing to change the subject, Anton looked back at Elena and asked her, "You ever go out with friends?"

Elena looked back at him and asked him, "Sorry?"

"You're having a hard time listening today, aren't you?" Anton snarked at her. "I said do you ever go out with friends?"

Elena paused for a minute, eying him suspiciously, before slowly shaking her head and saying, "No. In all honestly, I don't have that many friends." Elena set her drink aside and rested her arms on the table, before explaining to the hitman, "The closest thing I've ever had to a friend was my pen pal in Los Angles. His full name is Theodore Donald Kerabatsos, but I just call him Donny. I don't hear from him much anymore, but last time I did, he said he started taking bowling lessons with these two older guys: a hot-headed war veteran and a slacker who insists on being referred to as the Dude."

" _'One generation passes away, and another generation comes; but the earth abides forever'_ ", Anton recited.

Elena blinked at him, her eyes widening in surprise.

"Is that not what is says in your Bible?" Anton asked her with a slight smile, taking another swallow of beer.

"Yes, but somehow you don't strike me as the religious type", said Elena, giving him a suspicious look once again.

Anton tilted his head left and said to her, "I don't have to follow any religion to be a man of faith. I have my own set of morals and guidelines that keep me safe. There are certain rules I allow myself to follow. Rules that you could not understand."

"Are those rules you follow as vague as you are?" Elena asked him.

"Is that what you're asking me?" Anton asked her. "Are the rules I follow as vague as I am?"

Elena slapped her hand on the table and said to him, "You're scary, you know that?"

"In what way?" Anton asked her, looking mildly surprised.

"Whenever I ask you a question, you always tend to be cryptic about it", said Elena. "You're an emotionless snarker with a dead sense of humor and a personality just about as interesting as a frying pan."

The hitman said nothing, tilting his head slightly to the right, looking at her with vacant eyes.

Elena suddenly nodded her head and gave him a warm smile and said to him, "I find that strangely attractive about you."

Anton paused for minute, before he sighed deeply and said to her, "You have no idea what you're talking about, do you?"

Elena chuckled lightly and lowered her head in response. "I guess not", she said.

Anton said nothing more and turned his head left, looking away from her as he took another swig of beer.

Elena lifted her head back up and caught sound of an angry male's voice. Her smile melted, as she looked over Anton's right shoulder and saw a man yelling into his cellular phone, a half-empty glass of bourbon in his hand.

"Oh, my God!" Elena exclaimed.

"What?" Anton asked her, looking back at Elena.

The woman with fear in her turquoise eyes motioned her head to the left and whispered to him, "Look over there."

Anton looked behind him and saw that Elena was indicating to a man sitting alone at a table. Dark-haired with black circles under his green eyes, the man slammed his phone down on the table and finished the last of his drink, setting the glass down before placing a hand over his eyes, his shoulders shaking due to the effects of too much alcohol.

"That's Gordon Burrows", Elena explained in a hushed voice. "He's the mentally unstable father of a patient of mine."

"What danger is he to you?" Anton asked her, looking back at Elena.

The brunette woman did not answer him, as she opened her purse and took out a ten, placing it on the table. "I think we should leave", said Elena, standing up.

Anton stood up and blocked her path, causing her to bump into his towering height. "What are you afraid of?" He asked her, his deep voice sounding cold and authoritative.

Elena shrugged her shoulders and questioned him, "Who said anything about fear?"

"Excuse me!"

The hitman turned around and saw that Mr. Burrows was approaching them, his bright eyes lingering on Elena.

Anton stepped aside and allowed him to approach Elena, who looked at the hitman with a dropped jaw. "What are you doing?" She whispered desperately.

"Can I help you, sir?" Anton asked him, acting casual.

"Shut up!" Mr. Burrows shouted. He then looked at Elena and said to her, "I've been meaning to talk to you."

Cursing internally, Elena forced herself a fake smile and said to him in a friendly tone, "Hello, Gordon."

"So, tell me, Elena. How does it feel working with a murderer?" Mr. Burrows questioned her.

Anton kept a calm and serene demeanor about himself, while Elena paused for a minute and tried hard to maintain her weakening grin. "Gordon?"

"Don't act like you don't know, missy!" Mr. Burrows barked at her. "You know perfectly fucking well what I'm talking about. You've known it for months!"

Anton looked at Elena, who allowed her smile to disappear. "Gordon, unless you can lower your voice and talk to me like a normal human being-"

"No, no, no, no, no!" Mr. Burrows denounced her, waving his hand in rejection at her words. "I want to hear straight from you how it felt when you and those so-called doctors at the hospital killed my wife."

Anton looked at Gordon and asked him, "I beg your pardon?"

Mr. Burrows looked over at the unusual man with his left arm in a sling and said, "Who the hell are you?"

"It doesn't make any difference who I am", Anton told him.

"You married?"

"No, I am not."

"Well, whatever the hell your name is, I just thought I'd warn you that if you ever need a doctor, never trust your life with the likes of _this_ cunt!" Mr. Burrows pointed his finger at Elena, who looked at him angrily.

"Gordon, we've already told you", Elena tried explaining to him. "Dr. Benedict gave Natalia only a month to live. Her passing away two weeks after being diagnosed with leukemia was purely a coincidence."

"Was it a coincidence when you took my daughter away from me, too?" Mr. Burrows questioned her.

The hitman blinked in mild surprise and looked back at Elena, her expression filled with annoyance. Loosing patience, Elena took a step towards the irate drunk and leaned in close to his face. "Gordon, when Natalia was lying on her deathbed, you made it very clear that you couldn't go on raising Sophia alone without her. You and Natalia both agreed to sign over parental rights to me, and while I've allowed you to visit your daughter, you never come around to see her anymore. I'm sorry we couldn't save your wife, but unless you start cleaning up your act and getting some serious psychological help, I'm afraid I'll have no choice but to take away that privilege."

"How dare you speak to me like that, **_YOU FUCKING WHORE_**!"

In that moment, Elena was caught off guard when Gordon's hand made contact with her face, slapping her hard and knocking her to the floor.

Anton grabbed Mr. Burrows by the front of his shirt and pushed him up against the wall. The bar went deadly silent.

Annaliese Erikson, who had been watching and listening closely the whole time, stood up from her seat and shouted, "Hey! What the blue hell's going on in my bar?"

The hitman ignored the Gambler Lady and looked on either side at the few people inside the bar. All of their heads were turned and their eyes were staring directly at him.

Despite there being too many witnesses, Anton decided to spare the lives of these innocent people and looked back at Gordon. "You will apologize to her and take back what you said or you can accept the consequences of your actions."

"And what if I refuse, huh?" Gordon mocked him. "You gonna shoot me? I don't see how you can accomplish that, you goddamn cripple!"

Anton released his grip on Mr. Burrows' shirt and looked away, sighing to himself as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a coin. He flipped the coin into the air and caught it in his right hand, before lying it down on the table next to him. "Call it."

Elena stood up slowly on uneasy feet and looked over to see what he was doing.

"This is a fucking joke, right?" Said Gordon.

"No", said Anton. "Now call it."

The Gambler Lady walked over to Mr. Burrows and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Gordon, you're drunk. I really don't think you ought to tempt this man. Now, why don't I just give you a ride home-"

Before she could finish her sentence, Gordon Burrows brushed off Annaliese's hand and sat down at the table Anton placed the coin onto. "Where I come from, we only have one way of dealing with people like you", he said. Gordon placed his right elbow on the table and said to the hitman, "Think you're man enough to take on the challenge, coward?"

Anton said nothing, as he put the coin back into his pocket and took a seat opposite from Gordon, putting his right elbow on the table and interlocking his hand with Gordon's.

"Anton, don't!" Elena cried.

Before anyone knew what had happened, Anton had thrown Gordon's arm down hard onto the table in one swift movement. If it had not been for the disturbing, cracking noise of bones breaking and the sound of Mr. Burrows' screams of agony, the crowd would have thought nothing of it, instead of letting out shrieks of pure horror and terror. Elena was as equally terrified as the rest of them, as she placed a hand over her mouth to prevent herself from screaming.

"Oh, my Lord", Anneliese Erikson exclaimed, placing a hand over her beating heart.

With Mr. Burrows defeated, the hitman stood up and walked over to Elena, taking her by her arm and heading out of the bar.

"Anton, you could have killed him!"

"Yes, but I didn't."

"Anton, this isn't funny! Do you even know what kind of power he has?"

Anton ignored Elena and pushed her against the brick wall, cornering her. "Are you hurt?"

Elena shook her head and said, "No, I'm all right."

The hitman did not believe her, as he tried brushing her hair away from her face. Elena winced when his fingers lightly brushed against her skin, as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, revealing an ugly bruise that was starting to form on her left cheek.

Just at that moment, a siren was heard. Anton turned around and saw a police cruiser pull up next to them. The window was rolled down, showing that Officer Gunderson was in the driver's seat. "Everything okay there, big fella?"


	9. A Man of His Word

"Uh-huh...Uh-huh...Oh, jeez...Uh-huh...Oh, yah?...Oh, yah, yah. You betcha, yah...Uh-huh...All right, thanks a bunch...Uh-huh, bye."

Marge hung up the phone and turned back to look at Elena, who was sitting on the couch, holding a bag of ice to her left cheek.

"Can I get ya anything, El?" Marge asked her cousin.

Elena lowered the bag of ice and turned her head right, revealing a deep bluish mark on her face. "No, thank you very much", she said, calm but with fuming eyes.

Sensing a sharp air of tension filling the room, Marge nodded her head and said to her cousin, "Okay, I'll just leave you be then."

Elena Olmsted looked away from her and applied the bag of ice back onto her cheek again.

With that in mind, Marge walked away and into the kitchen, where her husband Norm was sitting at the dinner table talking with Anton.

"What is his job?"

"Oh, I don't know. I hardly know the guy."

Both men noticed Marge's presence and turned their heads to look at her.

Marge smiled politely at Anton and said to him, "So, that was Mrs. Erikson on the telephone just now."

Anton stared at her, his dark brown eyes devoid of emotion, and said to Marge, "I didn't start that fight."

"Oh, no, no", Marge reassured him. "Annaliese said it was Mr. Burrows who started the whole bunch. She said you were only trying to defend El from being hurt after he called her a nasty name."

"I got hurt either way, Marge", said Elena, raising her voice so that the others could hear her from the living room.

Marge paused for a minute, staring at her cousin, before returning her attention back to Anton. "Anyway, she's not pressing charges against either one of ya, but she did say to let you off with a warning. She also thinks it would be best if neither you nor Mr. Burrows would set foot in her husband's bar for a while."

"I don't think he'll be a problem anymore", said Anton.

" _Oh, sure_! Just because Gambler Lady isn't pressing charges on me, doesn't mean Gordon won't either, right?" Elena called out, her voice filled with sarcasm. The brunette woman placed the icepack down and stood up, walking into the kitchen area. She looked at the hitman with cold eyes and asked him, "Tell me, Anton. Is that what you were thinking when you nearly tore his arm off?"

"It doesn't make any difference now", Anton informed her. "I gave him a choice to redeem himself. Instead, he chose stupidity over reasoning. He brought his own misery upon himself by deciding to play by his own rules."

"Anton, I swear to God...", Elena warned him. "If that little girl gets taken away from me and I die from guilt of not keeping my promise to Natalia, _you're_ the one I'm coming after for. Now if you're not in the car in five minutes, I'm leaving without you. Good night, Norm. Good night, Marge. I'm sorry you had to be put in the middle of my mess tonight."

With that said, Elena clicked her heels together and saluted the Gundersons, before turning around and walking over to the front door, slamming it on the way out.

"Oh, for Pete's sake", Marge said to herself, surprised at Elena's behavior.

Anton looked at the cop lady and said to her, "I'd tell you your cousin is a feisty woman, but that would be considered an understatement."

"Oh, yah", said Marge, nodding her head. "El always was a gutsy woman, even when we were kids."

"So, how's the arm, Anton?" Norm asked him.

Anton looked at him and answered, "Not as bad as it used to be."

"Well, you and El best be getting back home", said Marge. "Come on, I'll walk ya out."

The hitman stood up and walked over to the door with Marge, who turned to him and said, "Can I ask you a favor, Anton?"

"What favor would that be?" Anton asked her.

"Well, it's just that Elena looks to be in a bit of a sting right now", said Marge. "I don't know what happened tonight, but she does tend to get a little sensitive sometimes. So, if it's not asking too much of ya, could you please keep me informed if anything else comes up? I just hate to see anything happen to El, especially after everything she's been through."

"You hardly know me and yet you trust me enough to put your cousin's life into my hands?" Anton questioned her.

"Oh, yah, for a long time, in fact", Marge answered him.

The hitman looked at the lady cop for a minute, his resentment of her greatly lessened. Though her sugar-sweet persona and chipper outlook on life was still something to take into consideration, Anton had gotten somewhat used to being around Marge at this point. Perhaps it was out of respect for Elena, who he was already highly amused of, seeing how the beautiful young woman had showed a sense of fortitude for herself this night, even when taking a blow from people who mistreated her. With that in mind, the hitman walked out the door and left the Gunderson residence without another word.

The drive back to Elena's house was anything but pleasant. The young woman with turquoise eyes remained silent during the majority of the ride, almost never taking her gaze off of the road, making sure to avoid as much eye contact with the man sitting right next to her as possible. She wished the events of the night had never happened.

Anton looked at her out of the corner of his eye and blinked and looked forward, as he said to Elena, "So, that explains the florescent decor of your guest room, as you call it."

"Shut up", Elena told him. Her voice was stern.

Normally, the hitman wouldn't have mind the silence between them, but seeing how she was refusing to speak him, Anton decided to switch on the radio to see if she would react.

" _-And now for the weather report: temperatures are looking sunny tomorrow, with-_ "

Elena turned off the station immediately and put her hand back onto the wheel.

After another minute of silence passed between the two, before Anton looked at Elena and said to her, "There's nothing wrong with adopting a child and raising it as one of your own as a favor to your friend."

"I'm aware of that", said Elena, still not looking at him.

"So, why didn't you say anything about having one?" Anton questioned her.

"You don't need to know everything about me, Anton", said Elena.

The hitman stared at her for a minute, his dark brown eyes searching her for whatever secrets she was hiding.

"It's not that I'm ashamed or anything, it's just that Sophia is..." Elena did not have the courage to finish her sentence, as her eyes suddenly began to fill up with water, her lower lip trembling as a lump developed in her throat.

Seeing that misty look in her eyes again, Anton shook his head and asked her, "It's just that she is what?"

"She's not a retard. It's not a physical formality. It's just... _a thing_ she has about her that I'd rather not talk about", said Elena, sounding choked up as tears began to fall down her cheeks.

Anton looked at Elena for a minute and said nothing more. He then turned his head to look out the passenger's side window.

Elena took one hand off the wheel and wiped the tears from her eyes with the tips of her fingers, taking a deep breath as she put her hand back onto the wheel.

The hitman looked back at Elena, who was still avoiding eye contact with him, and asked her, "Did you help bring her into this world or were you just her mother's nurse during the time of her death?"

Elena threw her head back and said to him, "Cripes! Will you stop asking me about it?"

"I didn't say you were incapable of having children", Anton told her.

The young brunette nurse took offense to that. She turned her head and looked at the hitman with wide eyes and said to him, "Okay, wait a minute! _I_ am incapable of having children?"

"I never said that."

"No, no, no, no, no. You're the _combat medic_! You tell me! Because clearly I'm just a-"

Anton's provoking and questioning of Elena worked in getting her to finally talk to his face, but just as she started to chew him out on his meddling into something he knew nothing about, the nurse paid no attention to where she was going and unknowingly started to drive her vehicle off of the road. The hitman was the only one who seemed to notice, though he spoke not a word until after she had finished her rant.

"-And quite frankly, Anton, you strike me as less of a doctor, and more like the fifth Beatle boy!"

"You want me to drive?" Anton asked her, his voice calm as usual.

"You can't drive with a broken arm", said Elena.

"You can't drive when you're dead either", said Anton, focusing his eyes back onto the road. Elena did the same thing and saw they were about to hit a tree.

"Fuck!"

Elena swerved back onto the road and came to a stop in the middle of the street, slamming hard onto the brakes as she did. Both of them slammed back against their seats, and even though Anton seemed unfazed by the near-fatal impact, the heavy breathing that came from Elena's throat forced him to look over at her. She was startled, but other than that, she was unharmed. Elena slowly turned her head, eyes wide with shock, and looked over at Anton, who raised his eyebrows and asked her, "You were saying?"

The next morning, Elena continued to stay silent and kept her head down as she ate from her bowl of cereal. The hitman watched her the entire time, chewing slowly as he ate from his own bowl, and noticed that the nurse had covered up the bruise on her face with foundation makeup.

"You're awful quiet this morning", said Anton.

Elena, not looking at him, put a spoonful of cereal into her mouth and told him, "I don't have anything to say."

"You're acting foolish", Anton told her.

Elena chewed her food and shook her head and said to him, "No, I'm not."

"You're mad at me", said Anton.

Elena lifted her head and shot vengeful eyes at him. "No."

"Is this because I refused to tell you about how I broke my arm?" Anton asked her.

Elena swallowed and answered, "No."

"Then it is the way I have been acting towards the Gundersons?"

"No. Leave Marge and Norm out of this", Elena warned him, raising her voice a little.

"All right", said Anton, standing up. He picked up his bowl and walked over to the sink with it.

Elena lowered her head, hoping to finish the rest of her breakfast in peace, and spooned more cereal into her mouth.

Anton placed his empty bowl into the sink and looked out the kitchen window, seeing a white rabbit drinking from the river behind the house. The hitman stood there for a minute, silent as stone, before he turned around to look back at Elena and said to her, "You never did answer my question last night about the child-"

Slamming her hand down on the table, Elena stood up and yelled at him, "Shut up, all right!? This isn't your bullshit to deal with, Anton! It's mine! It's not for you to worry about, I don't want to talk about it, and that's the end of the conversation."

Picking up her bowl, Elena walked over to the sink and placed it inside. She then looked at Anton, eying him angrily, and said to him, "One more thing: I don't want to hear another word out of you for the remainder of the day... _Comprendo_?"

Hearing a familiar tone in her voice as cold and deadly as his own, Anton Chigurh said nothing and stared back into the turquoise pools of her eyes, feeling the tension between them, but also admiring just how authoritative Elena sounded on that last word.

"Why do I even bother talking to you?" Elena asked herself, before walking past the hitman and into the living room, picking up her keys from off the coffee table and heading out the front door, slamming it behind her as she headed off for work.

Nurse Olmsted went about her daily routine at the hospital that day, her work helping her to take her mind off of Anton, and everything seemed to be going as smooth as silk, until around noon, when Elena looked up from her clipboard and she gasped at the sight of Gordon Burrows existing one of the rooms, his right arm in a cast. The bright-eyed man noticed her and stopped dead in his tracks, his face turning pale as a sheet.

Swallowing nervously, Elena approached him and said, "Gordon, let me explain-"

Gordon raised his left hand and spoke to her in a calm, sincere voice, "Elena, please. I would like to apologize to you for my behavior last night. It was wrong of me and I pray that you will forgive me for the way I acted. I have no excuse."

Confused at his causal demeanor, Elena nodded her head in response and said to him, "Yes, I forgive you...But I thought-"

"I've been thinking all night", Gordon interrupted, ignoring her. "And you're right. I went and talked with those people over at the Catholic church on Crane Street this morning, and I've agreed to begin attending their recovery meetings on Saturday and Sunday nights."

Elena nodded her head again and said, "That's good, but I still don't-"

"I know you did your best for Natalia", Gordon continued. "Heck, you've been there for her ever since the two of you went to high school. She always said you were the best friend she ever had. And the day Sophia was born-" Gordon laughed at his own memories, a happy smile spread across his face. He looked to his left and shook his head, bittersweet tears filling his eyes. He then looked back at Elena and said to her, "You know, I really thought Natalia would pull through with her disease,...but in the end, I guess things didn't turn out the way I planned, right?"

Elena said nothing and looked at him with sadness, as if she would breakdown and cry at any given minute.

With that all said, Mr. Burrows sniffled and wiped the tears from his eyes, before he reached into his coat and pulled out a piece of paper, handing it to Elena, who looked over it carefully.

A minute later, the young nurse looked at him with terrified eyes and said to him, "Gordon...this is a restraining order."

"I know", said Gordon, handing her a pen. "Just sign the papers and you and your friend will never hear from me again."

Elena shook her head and said, "No, I'm not gonna do it."

"Sign it, Elena", said Gordon.

"No", Elena protested. "Gordon, I can't let you do this."

"Elena, sign the goddamn papers or else!" Gordon's voice sounded threatening.

Not wanting to cause a scene in front of her coworkers, Elena took the pen from Mr. Burrows and signed the documents on her clipboard. She then handed the pen and restraining order back to him.

"Gordon, what about Sophia?" Elena asked him.

"I've already talked with her", Gordon answered. "She said she understands and that everything will be all right for me. Have a pleasant day, Miss Olmsted."

And just like that, Gordon Burrows turned around and walked away from Elena, never to bother her again.

As soon as her shift ended, Elena headed straight back home, feeling guilty for the way she had acted towards Anton this morning. She had gotten angry at him over nothing and was now feeling deeply ashamed of herself for snapping at him. In her mind, Elena knew damn well that she had let her fears take control of her, but in her heart, she also knew that her behavior towards him was no excuse for rudeness. If there was anything she could do to make it up to him, she would do it.

Elena did not know what to expect once she got home, but when she stepped out of her car and walked up to her house, the turquoise-eyed woman opened the door and found Anton sitting on the couch, watching a soap opera that appeared to be in Spanish. The dark-clothed man with the pageboy haircut turned his head left and looked at her. As usual, his face showed no emotion. Not anger, not annoyance. Not one scrap of resentment.

Remorse was the only emotion that painted the face of the brunette nurse, as she closed the door behind her and said to him, "I owe you a very, _very_ big apology right now. I understand that fear is no excuse for me snapping at you like that the way I did, but I just thought that if the adoption agency found out about what happened last night, that Gordon would try to take Sophia away from me. I realize now that it was a foolish thing for me to even think that for one minute. I saw Gordon at the hospital this afternoon and had a civilized conversation with him and he said he's not pressing any charges against us. He admitted his mistake and said he was sorry and that he would never bother me again. In other words, you were right and I was wrong. Anton, can you ever forgive me?"

The hitman sat there in silence for a minute, contemplating on the honest sincerity of her words. Finally, he turned his head and looked away from her, as he stood up and walked over to turn off the television. Anton then turned around and looked back at Elena, nodding his head in response, before heading down the hall.

Elena followed after him and said, "Okay, you don't have to look at me, but could you at least talk to me?"

Anton walked into the bathroom and turned to look at her again, before shutting the door in her face.

Elena opened her mouth and was about to knock on the door, but then stopped herself from saying anything else she would regret later on and lowered her fist, sighing in defeat.

Elena did not see him again until about forty-five minutes later. Just as she had finished setting the table for the two of them, Anton walked into the kitchen and eyed her with cold annoyance. Elena noticed his presence and looked up, smiling at him. "Hello", she said. Anton said nothing, let alone any such thing as a greeting, and sat himself down at the table. Disheartened over his lack of speech and glacial demeanor, Elena's smiled melted away. She sat down opposite from him and scooted her chair closer to the table, saying nothing else until after they had finished their meal.

The main course that night was meatloaf, a recipe Elena had found in one of her late grandmother's cookbooks. Several times, she looked across the table at Anton to see if his reaction would change, but there was no detection of emotion from the silent man with the pageboy haircut, as he avoided eye contact with her by staring down at his own plate and the glass of water next to him. Was this a punishment? Was he still mad at her for yelling at him this morning? Or was it payback for the way she had acted towards him the other night? Despite there being no hint of hostility in him and that fact that he seemed to be ignoring her made Elena worry how long Anton would continue to give her the silent treatment.

After a long silence, Anton finally looked at Elena, as he placed the last piece of food into his mouth, chewing slowly as he stared her down with those big, dark eyes of his.

"Well? Did you like it?" Elena asked him.

Anton said nothing. He then stood up and downed the rest of his drink, before walking back into the living room.

Elena sat there for a minute, a look of disbelief on her face, before she sighed to herself and stood up and began to clear the table. After she finished putting everything away, Elena went back into the living room and found Anton sitting back down in his usual spot on the couch, his right arm held across his left arm, which was still in a sling.

Elena walked over to him and said, "Look, Anton, I don't know what else to tell you. I said I was sorry. What else do you want from me?"

Anton did not respond or even look at her, his mindset elsewhere as he stared into the dead screen of the television.

Frustrated by his lack of cooperation, Elena turned around and marched down the hallway to her bedroom.

A full seven or eight minutes went by, but Anton hardly seemed to notice. The sound of an object rolling across the floor caught his attention, as he felt something hit the side of his boot and looked down to see what it was. He leaned over and picked up the object with his right hand and found it to be nothing more than a baseball with a heart drawn onto it.

Looking up from the item, the hitman's eyes laid themselves upon Elena, who had switched out of her nurse's uniform and was now wearing a magenta-colored lingerie, revealing the alluring frame of her slender body. Her brown hair was tied back into a low bun and her lips were painted bright red, as though they had been kissed by a Spanish rose.

Letting the ball slip from his grasp, Anton dropped his hand down into his lap, an indistinguishable look on his face. Was it Confusion? Disgust? Horror? Perhaps even shock. Either way, he did not know what to make of the nature of this situation.

Elena placed her hands on her hips and spoke to him in a seductive voice, "Hello there, big boy."

Anton said nothing and slowly tilted his head to one side, wondering exactly what was going on inside that fevered head of hers. Whatever she was thinking was something far beyond his interest. And if she thought the promise of sexual intercourse was going to provoke him and get him to utter so much as a sentence, she had another thing coming.

"Miss Olmsted told me you two were having trouble communicating with one each other, so I thought I'd step in and see what was the matter", she continued. Elena walked over to Anton and sat down on the coffee table in front of him, their eyes meeting each other. "Unless, of course, if you prefer to skip the talk and go straight for the foreplay instead", she said. Elena lowered her eyes and placed her left hand on his right knee, trailing up along his pant leg, as she said to him, "I bet you can't say no to this, can you?"

Before she could reach his pelvic region, Anton grabbed her wrist tightly and forced Elena to stand up on her feet and look into his eyes, dark and savage as they were. The evidence of frustration and rage written all over his face. The hitman released his grip on her and walked away into the kitchen, returning less a minute later with a pencil and notepad. He sat back down on the couch and placed the notepad down on the coffee table, writing something in it before he set the pencil down and tore the page from the notepad, handing it to the scantily-dressed Elena, who read it out loud.

" _'Yes I can, for your hourglass figure and attempts at seduction are fruitless and in vain'_."

Elena paused for a minute before casting a look of annoyance down on Anton, who said nothing and remained silent as the grave.

"What is _that_ suppose to mean?" Elena questioned him.

Anton picked up the pencil again and wrote something else down in the notepad. He set it down and tore the page out again and handed it to Elena.

" _'You said you didn't want to hear another word from me for the rest of the day. Until the hour of midnight comes to pass, I refuse to brake my word'_."

Elena looked at him again and exclaimed, "Are you really _that_ literal-minded? Look, just because I said I didn't want to hear another word from you for the rest of the day, doesn't mean I meant it."

The hitman stood up and took a step towards her, as Elena said to him, "Look, Anton, if you would just tell me what the problem is, I wouldn't have to-"

Before she could say another word, Anton grabbed Elena by the back of her hair and pulled her head back, before locking his lips onto hers. Elena was stunned by this action, but did nothing to stop him. It seemed to last forever, but it was only for a few seconds.

Anton released her from his grip and took a hidden piece of paper out of his shirt pocket, shoving it into Elena's hands before walking past her, leaving her at a loss for words.

Elena stood there for a minute, confused and in a daze, before she looked at the note Anton had written and read it to herself. " _I only have two words for you: shut up._ "


	10. A Threatening Phonecall

When he woke up the following morning, Anton walked into the kitchen, only to find a plate with two pieces of toast and a handwritten note sitting side-by-side on the table. _'Had to run. - E'_ , the note read.

Elena had already left the house about a half hour ago. Soon as she got to the hospital, Elena walked into Dr. Hartman's office, a black shopping bag in one hand, and placed the bag onto her desk.

Mary turned her head away from her phone conversation and eyed the bag, before she looked up at Elena and asked her, "What's in the bag?"

"Just open it", Elena told her, sounding angry.

Mary put the phone back to her ear and said, "Mom, I have to call you back." She hung up the phone and reached over and looked into the bag. She pulled out a magenta-colored lingerie and said, "Elena, what is this? I gave this to you."

"I'm returning the birthday present you gave me last year on account that it didn't work", Elena explained.

"What do you mean?" Mary asked her, standing up from her chair behind the desk.

Elena placed her hands on the desk and said, "I tried wearing this last night to get a guy to speak to me. It didn't work, and now I'm refusing to speak to him, just like he refused to speak to me."

Just as Elena turned around and was about to walk out of the office, Mary came around from behind her desk and said, "I didn't know you were dating anybody."

Elena stood in the doorway and turned back to look at her. "I wouldn't exactly call it dating, Mary", she said.

"Is he tall?" Mary asked her, sounding interested.

"Yeah, he's about six foot tall", Elena answered.

"Is he handsome?" Mary asked her, eyes sparkling and a wide smile on her face.

Elena shrugs her shoulders and said in a modest sort of voice, "He's somewhat easy on the eyes."

"Is he an educated man?"

"Educated!? He rarely talks! Everytime I look at him, it's like I'm staring into the eyes of one of those things from _Night of the Living Dead_! Now I don't know if he's got some kind of mental retardation or what, but what I do know is that he's anti-social, he shows little to no emotional expression, he snarks at Marge every chance he gets, and, I'm not gonna lie to you, Mary, he lacks all regard for social normalities. What's your diagnosis on that?"

Mary paused for a minute and spoke in a polite tone, "Elena, there's a cleaner word you could use around here. It's called autism."

Elena shook her head in disappointment and said to herself, "How Professor Williams ever let you pass through medical school is beyond me."

Elena left the hospital at 10:30 and rode back home under cover of darkness. When she pulled up into the driveway and stepped out of her car, Elena saw a light coming from the living room window and shut the car door and walked up the steps to the front porch. She opened the door, seeing the dark-clothed man with the pageboy haircut sitting in a chair on the left side of the couch, a book in his lap. The lamp on the sidetable drawer providing the source of light.

Elena eyed him for a minute, before shutting the door and locking it behind her. She then walked over to the phonograph, ignoring the hitman as she crossed the living room, and removed the current disc from the record player.

Anton looked up from his page and turned his head left, studying her. Elena walked over to the shelf in the corner and knelt down and began to look through her record collection. She pulled out an album sleeve and placed the record back into it, before putting it back onto the shelf. The hitman tilted his head slightly to the right, his face apathetic. Elena pulled out a different album sleeve and stood up and walked over to the phonograph again, pulling the vinyl record from the sleeve and placing it in the center of the phonograph. She brought the tonearm over the record and turned on the switch, turning the music up to full volume. Soon as the Rolling Stones started playing, Elena turned around and looked at Anton, who looked away from her and returned his attention back to his book.

They ate a late supper together, neither one speaking to each other. Elena kept silent on her own account, testing the waters to see how long she could mirror Anton's behavioral pattern from last night. _Two can play at that game_ , she thought to herself. Anton, seeing right through her little shanghaiing, paid her no attention and kept to his own silent self. Once they had finished, the hitman cast his eyes at Elena to see if she would break her meaningless vow of silence. The nurse picked up her glass of milk, turning the glass and examining it as one would do with an expensive wine. She took no more than a sip of the white liquid and set her glass down. Elena then looked at Anton, who stood up and picked up his own glass, retreating back into the living room.

Elena rose from her seat and followed him into the living room. She walked over to the couch and folded her arms and sat down next to Anton, who turned his head right and looked at her. He then looked away and sat there silently for a minute, holding the glass of milk in his right hand.

Elena turned her head left and opened her mouth to speak, but then remembered she was giving him a taste of his own medicine and looked away from him, slouching back as she breathed through her nose.

"You know you can't keep this up, don't you?" Anton told her, taking a drink of milk.

Elena sighed to herself and tilted her head back, her eyes staring up at the ceiling.

"If you have something important to say, you better tell me now, because I won't ask you again", said Anton.

Elena tightened her lips at his remark, not wanting to give in.

Anton looked at his glass of milk and drank again.

Unable to resist, Elena rose up from the couch and snapped at him, " _How_ can you live like this!?"

Anton paused for a minute, before turning his head right and said to her, "Indicating to what?"

"I'm talking about you acting like an emotionally-deranged corpse all the time!" Elena exclaimed. "I mean, did somebody fill your head with bubblegum or something? Wake up! What are you so afraid of anyway?"

Right away, the hitman's eyes filled themselves with contempt. He set the glass of milk down on the coffee table and put his right hand on his knee, standing up slowly.

Elena found herself taking a step back, as she stared up at the tall, brooding, and easily intimidating man looking down at her. A scary predicament he had seen many times from his past victims.

"Is that what you're asking me? Is there something I'm afraid of?" Anton asked her, his voice baritone and guttural.

"Look, Anton, I just want to know why you act the way you do", Elena explained. "All those little antics you do, the reasons why you never talk about your personal life. Were you the victim of some horrible incident or something? Please talk to me!"

"This conversation is over", said Anton, turning to walk away, only for Elena to tug onto his shirt sleeve and pull him back. He spun around quickly and grabbed hold of her wrist, frightening Elena and making her gasp. Knowing she had crossed the line, Elena was forced to stare directly into the soulless eyes of the villainous Anton Chigurh, unaware of his true nature, but still thinking he would hurt her.

Anton stared into her turquoise eyes with calm, but furious anger and said to her, "You do that again and I'm not responsible for what happens to you."

He released Elena, who looked at her wrist and rubbed it gently with her other hand. She then looked at Anton with fear, tears slowly creeping themselves into her eyes.

Elena nodded her head in understanding and said to him in a hushed tone of voice, "Okay...You know what? I've tried being nice in helping you, but now I'm starting to get really sick and tired of you being here and treating me this way. You don't want to follow doctor's orders? Then you can leave."

"You're not a doctor", Anton reminded her. "You're a nurse. A foolish one at best."

"Okay, well, if you don't want my help, why don't you just go back to Odessa and stay there?" Elena suggested.

Anton shook his head and said to her, "I've have no business going back to Odessa. So, why the hell would I go back there?"

"Then tell me why you were lying on the side of the road bleeding to death with a bone sticking out of your arm?"

Things got quiet all of a sudden, as the hitman and the nurse both stared at each other for a minute.

"What did you say?" Anton asked her. His voice was stern and his eyes spoke with malice.

Elena threw her arms up and then back down and said to him, "You asked me what I wanted to know what I was asking of you and that's it." She shook her head, trying not to cry in front of him. "I don't have anything else more to say."

Just at that moment, the phone rang.

Elena looked hesitate for a minute, before she forced herself to walk past Anton and over to the phone sitting next to the lamp on the sidetable drawer. The hitman turned himself to look at Elena, as she picked up the handset and rested it onto her shoulder, looking at him.

"I'm warning you right now, Anton", said Elena. "Either you lighten up and tell me what's gong on or you can get out."

He said nothing, staring at her with cold, dead eyes.

"It's your choice." Elena put the receiver to her ear and smiled. "Hello, this is Elena Olmsted." Within a millisecond, the smile on her face disappeared. Her eyes widened and filled with a stronger fear than when Anton had grabbed her not five minutes ago. "What?" She asked the voice on the other line, her brows knitting themselves together in confusion. A look of despair soon spread across her face, as she closed her eyes and let out a sigh, a tear escaping down her cheek. "Yes, Andrew", she answered. Elena opened her eyes and looked over at Anton and put the handset on her shoulder again. "Excuse me."

Elena turned her back to the hitman and placed a hand on her hip, taking two steps forward. "Okay...When did that happen?...Wha-...N-no, don't...Don't go there with me, Andrew! You know exactly why I...What?...Well, fuck you too!"

Without warning, Elena through the phone onto the floor and put her hands to her face. Her shoulders shook, as she let out a sob and started to hyperventilate.

Seeing her in emotional distress, Anton walked over to her and tried placing his right hand onto her shoulder, but then Elena turned around quickly and pushed him back onto the couch.

" _ **GET YOUR FUCKING HAND OFF ME!**_ " Elena warned him, yelling at the top of her lungs. " _ **YOU TOUCH ME AGAIN AND I'LL BREAK YOUR OTHER ARM AND SHIP WHAT'S LEFT OF YOUR BALLS BACK TO KINGDOM COME! YOU UNDERSTAND?!**_ "

Anton nodded his head. "All right", he said, calmly. His expression was one of shock and surprise.

Elena looked at Anton with a mixture of shame, guilt, and remorse written all over her face, fresh tears starting to fill her eyes. She placed a hand over her quivering lips and turned around, running away from him and down the hall into her bedroom.

Sighing to himself, Anton stood up slowly and walked down the hall towards the back of the house. He turned towards the second room on the left and stood outside, listening to Elena crying through the door. He knocked on the door four times before opening it and seeing Elena lying down on her bed, sobbing. Her back was to him.

"What happened?" Anton asked her.

"Go away, Anton", Elena said to him, her voice breaking. "I don't want you to see me like this."

"You need to talk to me", Anton told her.

Elena shook her head, not looking at him. "I need to be alone for a minute", she whispered.

Anton stood there for a moment looking at her, not sure whether to feel sorry for her or put her out of her misery. "Okay", he said at last. "But as soon as you've settled yourself down, I demand an answer from you."

Elena kept herself quiet and waited until she heard him close the door behind her. She closed her eyes and put a hand to her face, crying softly.

Anton walked into the bedroom next to Elena's and sat down on the bed for a minute, thinking. He then decided to lie himself down for a while and rested his head back against the pillow. He stared up at the ceiling, wondering who on Earth had just called Elena and what made her force herself to shut him out. The caller had to be somebody she knew, for she said his name out loud. Whoever he was, the caller had to be a much bigger threat to her than even Anton was aware of. If Elena was that scared and wanted to shut him out, then there had to be a reason. But who or what she was afraid of, he did not know. She spoke of no enemies, which was a good trait, but even if she did have one, she would have told him by now.

With that in mind, Anton closed his eyes and slowly started to drift off.


	11. Anton's Nightmare

Anton Chigurh was driving down the streets of Odessa, not a sign of life anywhere. Five years ago, he was a combat medic, trudging through the God-forsaken fields of South Vietnam and Cambodia, where he tended to the sick and wounded. Now here he was, making a clean getaway for the dozens of murders he had committed over the last few days. Having recovered the stolen drug money and returning it to its rightful owner, the hitman had just finished completing his final task in killing an innocent woman, and was now looking to leave the country and starting business elsewhere.

Then, from out of nowhere, a car that ran through a red light slammed itself into the passenger's side of his vehicle. Anton felt himself slam hard against the door, knocking his head through the glass window, knocking him out.

It only took him a minute to realize what happened, as Anton slowly opened the door and stumbled out of the car. He fell onto his hands and knees, only to discover the ground was covered in snow.

Dazed and confused, the hitman stood up and looked around him. The quiet suburban of the sunlit, little town had now been converted into a snowy winter landscape somewhere deep in a forest. The damaged car still remained, surrounded by ice crystals and broken glass. The air was cold and a light dusting of snowflakes was starting to embed themselves into his hair. He felt no traces of pain anywhere on his body, but looked down at his left arm and rolled up his sleeve to see if there were any signs of blood or bone sticking out of his arm. There was nothing.

As the cold winds started to blow, Anton heard a young voice speak out his name and turned around. A little girl no more than the age of seven appeared out from behind a tree. She had brown hair with bangs and dark brown eyes. She wore a long, shimmering white dress with puffy sleeves and a purple bodice, looking like a character straight out of a Brothers Grimm fairytale. She wore no shoes on her feet, and there were cuts and bruises on her arms.

"Who are you?" Anton asked her.

The little girl did not speak and remained where she was. Despite the cold, she did not shiver. Her eyes held no fear and she looked not to be in pain.

"Who hurt you?" Anton asked her.

The little girl spoke not, but slowly raised her right arm and pointed her finger at something standing behind him.

Anton heard an animal snarling behind him and turned around, only to see there was a black wolf with yellow eyes standing but a few feet away from him, blood dripping down from its fangs.

Anton turned his body halfway to look back at the little girl again, but she was gone. Not a footprint in sight.

The black wolf snarled again and bark thunderously.

Anton looked back at the wild animal and slowly proceeded to take a step back, but unfortunately, his boot accidentally stepped onto a piece of glass, making it crack and angering the beast even more.

Anton gasped softly, as the black wolf growled and barked again, charging right towards him. Anton fell backwards into the snow and threw his arms over his face, as the black wolf jumped and attacked him.


	12. Elena's Confession

Anton sat up in bed, gasping in fright. It had been years since he had experienced any real nightmares, but this one seemed almost _too_ real. He couldn't ignore it, nor could he erase it from his mind. Breathing heavily, he looked around the florescent bedroom and found he was still alive. He turned his head right and looked towards the window. Not a speck of white was anywhere to be seen, except for the window frame. He looked down at his left arm and found, both to his relief and mild disappointment, that it was still in a sling.

Anton walked out into the hall and saw that Elena's bedroom door was open. He slowly approached it and pushed the door open gently, but she was not in there. The lamp was on and the top drawer of the nightstand was open.

Anton walked out into the dark living room and saw Elena sitting on the couch, holding her head down as she looked at the gun in her hands.

"What are you doing?" Anton asked her, suspicious, but with hidden alarm at her strange behavior.

Noticing his presence, Elena looked up at the hitman, her eyes slightly red and her cheeks stained with tears. "You wanted to see me?" She asked him, her voice slightly hoarse from all her crying.

"Yes, I did", he answered, calmly.

Keeping himself distant from her, Anton stayed close to the wall and walked over to sit down in the chair next to the window, keeping himself hidden in the shadows. He placed his right hand on his knee and slouched back casually, looking at her.

Elena hesitated for a minute before speaking. "I know you must think I'm crazy", she said. "You have every right to think so. I'm so sorry for yelling at you, Anton. It was nothing to do with you. I just..." Unable to finish her sentence and lacking all courage to speak or even look at him, Elena lowered her head again, fresh tears falling from her eyes, and put a hand to her face, a sob escaping from her throat as her body started trembling.

"If you start crying again, I'm going to walk away", Anton warned her, his voice gentle, but menacing.

Elena sniffled and took a shaky breath, exhaling deeply in order to stifle her crying. She sniffled again and wiped away the tears from her face. Taking another deep breath, Elena lowered her hand back down into her lap and looked over at Anton, who remained silent.

"You're not a paranoid schizophrenic, are you?" Elena asked him.

"No", Anton answered. "Why do you ask?"

"That was Andrew Pittman who called me", Elena explained. "He came to Brainerd about six months ago. When he first came here, nobody knew who or even _what_ he was. I use that term because I refuse to view him as a person after what he did to me..."

Anton waited for her to continue, but Elena remained silent. "Did he hurt you?"

Elena looked down and pulled up the bottom of her shirt, showing him a vertical scar on the left side of her abdomen.

Anton said nothing, but turned his head right and looked away from her. She did not see the sadness reflected in his eyes.

Elena lowered her shirt and looked back at him. "When Andrew first started visiting the hospital, I didn't think anything dangerous about him", she said. "But then he started saying and doing things around me that made me feel uncomfortable. When I finally confronted him about his behavior, Andrew told me he had fallen in love with me. I told him I wasn't interested and he seemed to understand...But then something snapped inside of him..." Elena paused and looked down at the gun in her lap, gripping the handle tightly. "...I don't know how he found me...But one morning as I was about to go to work, I stepped out of my house and found the body of Owen Preston hanging outside by a tree. He was one of my old high school friends. I got so scared, I ran back inside screaming like a maniac and called the police. By the time I hung up, I turned around and saw Andrew standing there with a knife in his hand. I didn't have time to react before he stabbed me."

 _You damn fool_ , Anton thought to himself, looking back at her. _You're too stupid and too beautiful for this world to even live in it_. Oh, how he wished he could just put her out of her misery right now. But then he remembered the voice in the back of his head that told him not to and retained his composure.

"He tried attacking me again, but I managed to run down the hall and lock myself in my bedroom", Elena continued, not looking at him. "At that point, Andrew tried breaking his way through the door. I was starting to lose consciousness from blood loss and was afraid I was going to die that day. When the cops finally arrived, they took him away and transported him back to an asylum in Florida. I had to undergo a splenectomy and was in the hospital for about a week because of the incident."

"How long ago did this happen?" Anton asked her.

"Three months, last March", Elena answered.

"Does Marge know about this?" Anton asked her.

Elena nodded her head. "Yeah, she knows", she said matter-of-factly. "She was one of the first responders here when it happened."

"Hmm", Anton said to himself, tilting his slightly to the left, his eyes studying her.

Elena shook her head and said, "But it doesn't matter now." She looked at Anton and informed him, "Andrew told me he's escaped and that he's coming after me. I didn't do anything to him and yet he still wants to kill me." Elena shook her head again and asked, "That doesn't make any sense, does it?"

Anton paused for a minute, sighing to himself. "Why did you choose to become a nurse, Elena?" He asked her.

Elena shook her head. "Don't avoid the question", she told him. "You don't answer me, then I don't have to answer you, remember? Now does him wanting to kill me for no damn reason make any lick of sense to you at all?"

"No, it doesn't", Anton answered her.

Elena looked down at the Beretta 92 in her lap. "No, it doesn't", she said. "But it doesn't make any difference whether he wants to kill me or not." Elena looked over at Anton and held the gun up for him to see, a determined, but maddening look in her eyes. "I promised myself a long time ago that if Andrew were ever to come back, that I would be ready for him. Marge doesn't know I have this. I've got a license for it, but I intend to keep this a secret just between you and me. Can I count on you to do that?"

"I wouldn't worry about it", Anton reassured her.

Elena lowered the gun and set it aside on the empty spot on the couch next to her. She placed her hands back into her lap, intertwining her fingers, and leaned back comfortably against the couch, staring at the brown-eyed handsome man with the pageboy haircut sitting in the shadows. Though she couldn't quite make out the expression on his face, the young woman with the turquoise eyes could have sworn she saw a sign of hope, if not pity for the way she had told Anton her near-death encounter with a man far worse than he was. If only she knew.

"I already told you my reason for becoming a nurse", Elena reminded him. "But if I had to name a second reason, I'd say I did it because I thought that if I could help people with their problems, then I could make up for my guilt at having failed to help Andrew with his...Please tell me I'm not a failure, Anton."

For the first time in weeks, if not months, the hitman found himself at yet another intersection of a difficult situation. Slowly, the hidden depths of this woman's painful reality were only now starting to unravel themselves, and the more he found out, the less he liked about it. Everyone had their limits. Even him. While he appreciated that she had tried to live an honest, God-fearing, conservative life, it was the choices and decisions she had made up to this point that had allowed her to come across him. An agent of fate, as he continued to view himself.

With no other choice, Anton Chigurh reached into his pocket and pulled out a quarter, looking at it. He then flipped it into the air and caught it in his hand, placing it onto his right knee. He looked at her and said, "Call it."

Elena paused for a minute. "What?"

"Call it", Anton repeated.

Elena shook her head. "I don't understand."

"You have to call it", Anton told her. "I can't call it for you. It wouldn't be fair."

"How would it not be fair?" Elena questioned him. "I just asked you to tell me whether I'm a failure or not."

"I can't decide that for you, Elena", Anton told her. "You need to answer that for yourself. You've been following certain rules all your life that led you down this road, that brought you to this path. You're asking me to judge you based on your own insecurities. Distasteful as it is, I don't have anyway other way to put it. It's the truth of the matter based on your answer that will determined whether you are a failure or not. And the answer is either heads or tails. Now call it."

 _Why can't you just give me a straight answer?_ Elena thought to herself, sighing through her nose. She lowered her eyes and shook her head. She had no idea what he was talking about, but it was the hurtful truth and brutal honesty of his words that proved to Elena, once again, that he was right and she was wrong. She looked at him and said, "Okay...Tails."

Anton looked at her for a minute, before looking down at the coin. He removed his hand and the coin revealed to him the embalm of a silver eagle.

"Well done", said Anton, a hint of a smile on his face.

Elena placed her right hand over her heart and breathed a sigh of relief.

Anton stood up and walked over to Elena, handing her the coin. "Here."

"Anton, I can't take your money", said Elena.

"Keep it for luck", Anton told her, ignoring her protest.

Elena took the coin and said to him, "Thank you."

Anton nodded and said to her, "I'm going back to bed."

With all that said and done, Anton turned around and walked over to the entrance of the hall, but then stopped himself and turned his attention to the painting of the two sparrows hanging on the wall. He turned his head left and looked at Elena, as he pointed at the painting and asked her, "Is this one of Norm's originals?"

Elena nodded and said with a smile, "Yes, it is."

Anton lowered his right arm and looked back at the painting, nodding his head in agreement. "I like it."


	13. Meeting Sophia

The next day, Elena sat in the employee room during her break and looked at the quarter Anton had given her last night, the year 1949 imprinted underneath Washington's head. Turning it over in her hand, Elena was lost in her own little world, unaware that Dr. Benedict was standing in the doorway.

"Miss Olmsted."

Elena gasped in fright and stood up from the chair she was sitting in, turning around to face him.

"Sorry", said Dr. Benedict. "I didn't mean to frighten you or anything."

"No, no", Elena reassured him, sticking the quarter back into her pocket. She tucked a loose hair behind her ear and asked him, "Is there an emergency?"

"No", said Dr. Benedict. "Actually, there's a gentleman here to see you. He says he's an acquaintance of yours."

"Acquaintance?" Elena questioned, a suspicious look on her face. "What does he look like?"

"Tall, dark, speaks with kind of a Dallas accent, and-" Dr. Benedict looked over his shoulder and then looked back at Elena, whispering, "In all honesty, he has the most _ugliest_ haircut I've ever seen on a man."

Elena walked out into the main lobby and was surprised to find that a familiar brown-eyed man with a pageboy haircut was leaning against the wall, his right arm across his left.

"Anton?"

Anton turned his head left and looked at her, lowering his right arm and walking over to her, giving her a rare smile. "Hello, Elena."

Elena smiled back and asked him, "What are you doing here?"

"I came here to see you", Anton told her.

"No, I mean how did you get here?"

"I called Norm and asked him to give me a ride."

"Elena", called a woman's voice.

Anton turned his head right and saw a petite blond woman walk up to them.

"Elena, Mr. Blake is here again. He says he's-" Dr. Hartman stopped herself when she looked up from her clipboard and caught sight of Anton. By the expression on her face, the hitman could not tell whether she was afraid of him or sexually aroused.

"Mary, this is Anton", said Elena. "Anton, this is Dr. Mary Hartman."

Dr. Hartman grinned from ear to ear and shook his hand and said, "It's a pleasure."

Anton Chigurh was neither amused nor interested in whatever this bubble-headed woman was thinking. Already he was annoyed with her and did not resist in letting it show on his face, though she hardly seemed to notice.

Elena looked at Mary and asked her, "You were saying?"

"What?" Mary asked her, not taking her eyes off of Anton. "Oh, um-" She fixed her glasses and looked at Elena. "I need you to look over those charts and get in touch with Peter Blake for me. I'd do it myself, but I've got four other people pulling me in all sorts of directions."

"Okay", said Elena, "but let me check on Sophia first and see how she's doing."

"Yah, you bet", said Mary. She looked at Anton one more time and said, "Bye."

As he watched the blond woman walk away from him, Anton Chigurh thought about seven different ways of how he wished to do away with her. The way he saw it, his thoughts on Mary Hartman were far worse than what his thoughts were on Marge Gunderson when he first met her. Although he continued to question the lady cop's cheerful nature, he still gave Marge credit for being an honest woman and always remaining faithful to her husband. With Mary, however, judging by her lack of professionalism and seeing how there was no wedding ring on her finger, the hitman knew that she was only after one thing from him, and that one thing was lust. Unlike his burning desire for Elena, who saved his life and gave subtle hints that she was interested in him, the only thing Anton was willing to do with Dr. Hartman was to put a bullet in her mouth.

"Come on", said Elena, tugging at his sleeve. "There's somebody I want you to meet."

Anton followed Elena over to the elevator. Once they stepped inside, Elena pressed the button to take them up to the third floor.

Once they reached their destination, Anton and Elena stepped out of the elevator, as he followed her down to room 17. Elena opened the door and walked into the room, but Anton remained standing in the doorway, as his eyes fell upon a familiar figure sleeping in a hospital bed. A beautiful, pale-looking little girl with brown hair that looked almost identical to the one he saw in his nightmare last night. A pure coincidence, he was sure.

The hitman watched as Elena brushed back the little girl's bangs with her fingers and leaned over to place a kiss onto her forehead, whispering something to her that Anton could not hear. It was quite clear to him that this was the child Elena had been given the task to take care of after the passing of her friend, Natalia Burrows, the beloved wife of Craig Burrows.

Elena walked over to Anton, who took a step back and allowed her to exit out of the room. She then turned to him and asked, "Can I ask you a favor?"

"That depends", Anton answered.

"Would you mind watching her for a few minutes?" Elena asked him. "Just until she wakes up, at least."

Anton looked back at the little girl and asked, "What's wrong with her?"

"She's got acute lymphoblastic leukemia", said Elena. "I'd rather if she just had the flu."

"Doctors can't do anything for her?" Anton asked, looking back at Elena.

"Dr. Benedict's doing everything he can", Elena answered. "Sophia seems to be recovering all right, but we're still looking into it. Can you keep her company until I get back?"

Anton gave her a slight nod of his head. "All right."

Elena placed her hands on his shoulders and said to him, "Thank you, Anton. You are a life saver", before heading off to tend to other patients.

Anton turned his attention back to Sophia and walked into the room and stood by the bedside of the sleeping child, looking down on her peaceful form. Thanks to the short sleeves on her hospital gown, Anton was able to see the dark red bruises on her arms. And if the light beading of sweat on her forehead was any indication, there was no mistaking that the child was suffering from more than just a fever.

Anton looked to his right and saw a clipboard lying on the tray table. He picked up the board and saw it had Sophia's health information on it.

At that moment, Sophia moaned in her sleep, to which Anton looked at her and saw her stir. He set the clipboard aside and took a seat in the chair next to her bed. Sophia slowly opened her eyes, dark brown in color, and turned her head left, only to see a man drenched in black clothing sitting by her bedside looking at her. His left arm was in a sling.

"Hello."

"Hello, Sophia."

"Who are you?"

"My name is Anton Chigurh."

"Sugar?"

Normally, Anton would have become annoyed if it were an adult talking to him this way, but seeing how she was only a child and didn't know any better, Anton kept his patience intact and spelled his last name out for her.

"Oh, Chigurh!" Sophia acknowledged.

"Yes", said Anton, nodding his head.

"I like your name", Sophia told him. "It that French?"

"I do not think so", said Anton.

"Nurse Olmsted told me a lot about you", Sophia told him.

"She said the same thing about you", Anton informed her.

Sophia paused for a minute, studying him with her eyes, and asked him, "Are you her boyfriend?"

Anton laughed lightly and gave her an amused smile. "What gave you that impression?"

"She talks about you all the time", said Sophia. "She told me you were from Texas. They got tornadoes down there, don't they?"

"Not all the time", said Anton.

"But they got cowboys, right?" Sophia asked him.

Anton's smile flatten and he no longer looked amused. He tilted his head right and said to her, "You ask a lot of questions for one your age."

Sophia sat up slowly and leaned her back against her pillow. "I don't know if the sickness will kill me or not, but if I die, I want to learn as much as I can about the world before I go", Sophia explained to him. "I'm not afraid to die, Mr. Anton. It's just a natural part of life."

"You must be very brave", said Anton, staring at her with admirable eyes. It amazed him how this little girl, sick as she was, somehow managed to carry a wisdom beyond her years.

Sophia picked up the plush shark lying next to her and set it down into her lap and said to it, "I told you he was gonna visit us today. And you didn't think he'd show up."

"You take comfort in talking to a stuffed animal?" Anton asked her.

Sophia looked at him and nodded her head. "Mm-hmm."

"Does it have a name?" Anton asked her.

"Quincy." Sophia looked down at the plush shark again and stroked his dorsal fin and explained to Anton, "He keeps me company."

"He does."

"My mommy gave him to me before she died. He's the only thing I have to remember her by."

Anton paused and looked at her for a minute. He had almost forgotten that Sophia was not a blood relation to Elena, but rather a young child who was barely starting out in life. In a strange sense, she reminded him of himself when he was a boy. Innocent and filled with a love for life. Not a single drop of hatred or violence anywhere in her veins. If only she would remain that way.

Sophia looked at Anton again and tilted her head downward a bit. "What happened to your arm?"

Anton looked at his left arm and said, "I was hurt in a car accident."

Sophia looked away from him, a sad expression on her face. She stroked Quincy's dorsal fin and said, "You've had a terrible life, Anton. You've been lonely your whole life."

"How do you know what my life has been like?" Anton asked her, looking suspicious.

Sophia shook her head and said, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Tell me", Anton demanded.

Sophia blinked and brought her eyes back to meet with his. "I see these pictures in my head", she explained. "When I look at somebody or touch their hands, I can see their life play inside my mind. Who they are, where they've been to, what their future is. I can even look into their past."

Anton looked offended and questioned her, "You're an agent of fate?"

"Not like you think", Sophia answered.

Thinking her sickness was causing her delusions of grandeur, Anton placed his right hand down onto her bed and challenged her. "Tell me what you see."

Sophia gave him a look that read, " _You're not going to like what you hear_ ", but the hitman did not seem to care. He was certain that she was playing a trick on him and would soon be able to tell whether she was lying to him or not. She knew nothing of who he was or what he had done. She was only a child to his eyes. Nothing more.

Sophia looked down and placed the tips of her tiny cold fingers against his knuckles, running her hand against the back of his before grabbing hold of his wrist.

Sophia closed her eyes, and with a flash of light, allowed visions of Anton's memories to run through her mind. The first was a series of moments from his childhood, leading up to the night his parents were murdered. A middle-aged sheriff comforted a five year old Anton, as he said to him, " _I'm sorry about your folks, son. There was nothing we could do._ " The vision changed and jumped ahead a few years, in which a teenage Anton was shown being harassed by a group of bullies, to which he responded by engaging them into a fight. The vision transported to the last few years of the Vietnam War, as a now adult Anton in uniform was tending to a badly-burned Cambodian boy. The vision soon went to a police station, where Anton was shown strangling a young police deputy with a pair of handcuffs. The next event showed at a gas station, where Anton had forced the man behind the counter to call heads or tails on a coin toss. The next image showed Anton walking into an office with a silenced shotgun, where he shot a man sitting behind a desk. The young accountant behind him asked if he was going to kill him, to which Anton answered with, " _That depends. Do you see me?_ " The accountant shook his head and answered, " _No._ " " _Then I was never here_ ", Anton told him, leaving the scene of the crime. The sound of a woman's voice echoed, " _The coin don't have no say_ ", as the vision transported to a nineteen year old girl walking into her bedroom, only to find Anton was there waiting for her. " _It's just you_ ", she said. " _Call it_ ", Anton demanded from her, but she refused. " _I ain't gonna call it._ " Following that was the car accident, to which Anton had suffered an open fracture, blood flowing down his arm from where the bone had broken through his skin. A flash of light appeared and showed a vision of Elena helping Anton lie down onto a bed in a motel room, blood dripping down from his head. " _Where...where am I?_ " He heard himself asking. Elena shushed him, as she placed the tips of her fingers over his lips and told him, " _You're all right. You're gonna be just fine._ " A screen of smoke clouded everything, until a fourteen year old boy with yellow hair and soulless black eyes appeared.

At that moment, Sophia gasped and opened her eyes, looking away from Anton and breathing heavily.

"What did you see?" Anton asked her.

Sophia stayed silent for a minute, swallowing deeply. Still avoiding his gaze, she shook her head and told him, "Nothing."

"You didn't see nothing", said Anton, a sly smile on his face and a hint of mockery in his deep, monotone voice.

Sophia looked at Anton with hurt in her eyes and said to him, "You weren't like this on the night your parents were killed."

Anton's smile faded at the mention of that, as he looked at the child with malice in his eyes and asked her, "What do you know about my parents?"

"What do you think they would say if they could see you now?" Sophia asked him. "Your father used to heal people. And yet you took the opposite route by hurting them. You didn't have to kill those people, Mr. Anton." She shook her head and said, "I don't understand you. And I don't think anyone ever will."

Not wanting to hear any more of this, an irritated Anton Chigurh stood up and began to walk over to the door, but just when he was about to reach for the door handle, the brunette child spoke to him again.

"You can't run away from it, Anton", Sophia told him, picking up Quincy and holding him in her arms. "You tried that once and it didn't work. Why do you think I visited you in your dream last night? I sent that wolf after you as a warning. You continue that criminal lifestyle, you got nothing but trouble."

Anton stood where he was for a minute, balling his right hand into a fist, digging his nails into his palm almost enough to make it bleed. He sighed in contempt and said to her, "You don't know anything about me."

"You're wrong", said Sophia. "I know everything about you. I just saw it."

Anton remained where he was and said nothing. Normally, it was not in his nature to pull a coin toss on a child, as he was strongly tempted to do with this particular one, but seeing how she _knew everything_ , according to her logic, it seemed pointless for him to force Sophia to call heads or tails. Hell, she would probably tell him the exact year on the coin instead.

"You're in love with my nurse, aren't you?" Sophia asked him.

Slowly, the hitman turned around and looked back at her. His expression did not change, but he _did_ have a funny look in his eyes. One that seemed less menacing and more concerning in regards to the fact that the nurse who took him in remained fully unaware of his murderous actions, and yet this sickly little girl was capable changing the course of those events, for she was of a much higher power than he ever thought himself to be.

"I know you are", Sophia informed him. "You're in love with her, but you just don't want to admit it. It's not part of your code, as you call it. You think if you submit to her, you'll become weak, just like everybody else." Sophia shook her head and reassured him, "Love isn't a weakness. It's an emotion. Something you've been avoiding yourself for a long time."

Thinking it over carefully, Anton walked back over to Sophia and sat down on her bed. "I'm listening", he said begrudgingly through clenched teeth.

"You don't have to shower her with gifts or write her a poem or anything", Sophia told him. "Elena's not that kind of person. Just tell her how you feel and maybe she'll open up to you more."

"I don't know how", said Anton.

"Yes, you do", said Sophia. "Just talk to her. When she comes home after work, ask her about her day. Compliment her clothes. Tell her how pretty her eyes look. You do love her eyes, don't you?"

Anton paused for a minute, his face relaxing somewhat. He reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out the photograph of Elena he had stolen from the Gunderson residence, looking at it. "They were the first thing I noticed about her", said Anton in a gentle tone, studying the characteristics of her angelic face. "After I left the scene of the car accident, I wondered around for three hours before finally collapsing just outside of Odessa. I thought I was dying, but then I remember hearing a voice telling me I was going to be all right. I was slipping in and out of consciousness due to blood loss, I don't remember half of what happened. When I finally opened my eyes and saw her standing before me, I had found something else far beyond codes or logic. Elena awakened something inside of me that day that I had been missing for so long. I didn't want to admit it at first, but now I can't deny it."

"You can still be a free man, you know", Sophia reassured him, placing her hand onto his knee. "But she needs to know someday."

"I know she does", said Anton, his voice no more than a whisper. The last thing he wanted was to loose Elena, but if this Sophia girl had a gift for predicaments and could easily tell everything about anyone, than she could easily remove him from her life.

Anton stuck the picture of Elena back into his pocket and sighed to himself and looked at Sophia and placed his hand on top of hers. "Look, if you promise me you won't tell anyone else about what I've done, then I promise I won't kill you."

"You're not going to kill me", said Sophia. "You've never killed a child before. And I _know_ you don't want to start now."

For a young girl suffering from leukemia and having just talked to a complete stranger, a sociopath, Anton admired Sophia for her bravery and fearlessness, and gave her a faint smile.

Sophia tilted her head down to the right and reached her hand up to Anton and brought it to his forehead, playing with his hair as she studied the chiseled features of his face. "You have a nice face, Anton. You should smile more often."


	14. Attempting Seduction

When Elena walked back into Sophia's room an hour later, Anton was not there with her. The little brunette child was full awake and reading a storybook to the plush shark sitting in her lap. Sophia looked up from her page and said, "Hi, Elena."

"Where's Anton?" Elena asked her.

Sophia closed the book and set it aside and said to her, "He left."

"Oh?" Elena asked, walking over to the little girl. "Did he say anything to you?"

Sophia shook her head and said, "No."

Elena placed the back of her hand to Sophia's forehead and then to her cheek. "Your fever's gone down", she said. "You gonna be okay tonight?"

Sophia lowered her eyes and nodded her head slightly. "I guess so", she said, sadly. She looked up at Elena and said to her, "I wanna go home."

Elena sat down on the bed and stroked the top of Sophia's head and said to her, "I know, baby. I miss having you back at the house, too. But I promise, as soon as you're strong enough, I will bring you back home."

Sophia embraced Elena, who hugged her back in return and forced herself to hold back tears.

"Can I see Mr. Anton again?" Sophia asked her nurse, who was also her mother.

"I can ask him if he wants to see you again", Elena answered.

"Okay."

Five minutes later, Elena finished her shift for the day and left the hospital at 5:29. Sophia had informed her that Anton mentioned something about going to a bar, and because of this information, Elena knew just where to look for him. Walking into the bar she had entered not more than a few days ago, Elena found Anton sitting at the counter, a bottle of beer in front of him. She walked over to him and sat down next to his right side.

"I thought I'd find you here", said Elena.

"Did Sophia tell you where to find me?" Anton asked her, taking a drink of beer.

"Yes, she told me", Elena answered.

"How ya doin', Elena?" Said the man behind the counter, who was cleaning a beer mug with a dishtowel. He had blond hair and looked to be in his late thirties.

"Hello, Mr. Erikson", said Elena.

"What can I get ya?"

"Just a lite beer, please."

"Yah, you bet."

Mr. Erikson set the beer mug down and threw the dishtowel onto his shoulder, as he walked away for a minute to place her order.

Elena folded her arms on top of the counter and turned her head left to look at Anton, asking him, "So, what did you think of her?"

"She's all right", Anton answered, not looking at her.

Mr. Erikson returned and placed a bottle of lite beer in front of Elena, who thanked him and paid for her drink.

After the owner of the establishment walked away to attend to other customers, Anton looked at Elena and asked her, "Are you aware of Sophia's powers?"

Elena's eyes widen, as she looked at Anton with shock and asked him, "She told you about that?"

Anton said nothing, but turned his head and looked away from her, fearing the worst, but not letting it show on his face.

Elena looked over her shoulder to see if anybody was listening, before she looked back at Anton and asked him in a hushed voice, "What did she tell you?"

"She claimed to have looked into my past", Anton answered. "She said I had a terrible life and that I was lonely."

"Did you believe her?" Elena asked him, keeping her voice down.

Anton let out an exasperated sigh and tilted his head back, his eyes staring up at the ceiling. "I don't know, Elena", he said.

Reminiscing her own discovery about the Sophia child's gift, Elena looked away from Anton and opened the bottle of lite beer, taking a hard swallow. She shuddered and set the bottle down onto the counter and said to herself, "That's so strange."

Anton looked at her and asked, "How strange?"

Elena looked at him and explained, "Sophia doesn't like anybody knowing about it. She thinks people will see her as being-"

"Different?"

"Yes."

"She doesn't have any friends?"

"Yeah, she's got a couple of friends. Three, actually."

Anton paused for a minute and asked Elena, "How did she come to inherit this power?" He followed his question with another sip of beer.

"Natalia", Elena answered.

"Mmm." Anton set the bottle down and asked Elena, "When did she pass away?"

Elena lowered her sad-filled turquoise eyes and answered, "February 25th of this year. After that, I brought Sophia home with me. I only had her for about three weeks and then..." Elena paused herself, not sure whether to continue or not. She looked at Anton and decided to press on. "...A week after she was administrated to the hospital, Andrew attacked me in my own house. If Sophia had been there when he..." Elena felt tears starting to form in her eyes and lowered her face, avoiding his gaze.

"You're not going to start crying in public, are you?" Anton asked her, almost threateningly.

"No, I'm not going to start crying", Elena told him, looking away as she dried the tears from her eyes and took a deep breath. "It's just that Sophia is _my_ responsibility now, and if anything happens to her, I'd rather put a bullet in my brain."

With having those words being spoken from her own lips, Elena took another swig of lite beer and set the bottle down, sighing to herself.

Anton looked away from her and said to himself, " _Entonces Dios los ayude a los dos, porque no puedo_ ", and took another drink of beer himself.

Elena looked at him and asked, "What was that?"

Anton shook his head and said, "Nothing."

"Since when did you start speaking Spanish?" Elena asked him.

Anton looked at Elena with a little smile on his face and reminded her, "You don't need to know everything about me."

Elena smiled at him and picked up her bottle of lite beer and asked him in a friendly manner, "Is that a challenge?"

The next day, Elena went to work, same as always, while Anton decided to stay home. Once she had left, the hitman stood out on the front porch of the house and sat down on the swinging bench, pondering himself, as well as the decisions he had made throughout his life. Ever since the night his parents were murdered, Anton Chigurh only looked to one thing to give him guidance, which was fate, but over the last twelve hours or so, he had started to question his belief in it. There was something about the way Sophia reminded him about his past, reminded him about the hitman he once was. He had always thought himself a Godlike individual among men, an incarceration of violence and death. And while he still held no shame or remorse for his actions, Anton realized now that it was a stupid thing to do. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized that had he _not_ committed those murders in the first place, the hands of fate would never have brought him to Elena. His thoughts of continuing his life of contract killing grew less and less each day, and focused more on the brunette woman with the turquoise eyes, the woman he was in love with.

Later that evening, as he was sitting in the living room on the couch reading a romance novel, Anton heard Elena open the door and walk into the house. Once he heard her close the door, Anton looked up from his page and turned his head left and saw Elena standing next to him. She had a huge smile on her face and was holding something behind her back.

"You wish to tell me something?" Anton asked her.

Elena showed him an album sleeve with an image of a dark-skinned man wearing a straw hat and glasses. "Look what I got", she told him in a singsong tone.

Unamused, Anton returned his attention back to his book and asked her in a flat tone, "Why should that interest me?"

"I got my paycheck today", Elena told him, walking over to the phonograph and opening up the sleeve. "I stopped by the record store before they closed and asked if they had any Spanish music. After hearing you speak it yesterday, I thought a little culture might be good for a change." Elena took out the record and placed it in the center of the phonograph, bringing the tonearm over and setting the needle down gently onto the vinyl. She turned to Anton and said to him, "I almost decided to skip the idea and just go with the Eagles, but let's face it, nothing is better than John Denver...What was the name of that general guy that led the Third Army into Germany in 1944?"

"You are referring to General George Patton?" Anton asked her, not looking at her as he turned a page of the book he was reading.

"Yes!" Elena exclaimed, beaming with excitement. "Jesus Christ, General Patton, and John Denver. Those are my top three favorite men in the whole world." With that said, Elena turned on the switch and let the music start to play.

As the exotic sounds of Cuban voices filled the house and sang in a language she had no idea what they were talking about, Elena started bobbing her head to the beat of the music. She then decided to partake in a series of random dance movements, and even though she had no sense of rhythm or grace, Elena did not seem to notice, or even the fact that Anton was watching her. Cute as it was, or so he thought, the look on his face showed that he did not understand the concept of her waltz. How could she not grasp the idea that she was making a fool of herself in front of him? Did she know nothing about the meaning of humiliation?

"Do you have any idea how ridiculous you look?" Anton asked her, looking slightly irritated.

"No, but that's the point", Elena told him, whirling around in a spin. She then looked at Anton, moving her shoulders to the feel of the music, and asked him, "Would you care to dance with me?"

"I don't dance", Anton told her. "I don't sing either."

"Your loss", said Elena.

"It's not a loss", said Anton, tilting his head slightly to the right. "I just prefer not to."

Elena stopped her random dancing and looked at him with a disappearing smile.

Anton returned his attention back to the book and said nothing.

Elena let out a breath of a sigh and turned down the volume. She walked over to Anton and sat down on the edge of the coffee table, placing her hands on either side and leaning back a bit. She then turned her head left and looked at him.

"You know what your problem is, Anton? You don't know how to have fun."

Anton looked at her and said, "There's more to life than having fun, Elena."

Elena sighed dreamily and gave him a slight smile. "Maybe so, but at least I'm not afraid to express myself."

Anton set the book he was reading aside and stood up from the couch. He walked around to stand himself in front of Elena, who sat up straight and stared up at him with a meek and mild look in her eyes. She had almost forgotten how intimidating he was the way he towered over her like that. And yet, in a strange way, Elena felt herself being turned on just by the way he was looking at her. His dark brown eyes, which were usually cold and filled with disdain, seemed genuinely warm and gentle for a change. If it weren't for his broken left arm, the brunette nurse would have let him have his way with her right there, right now.

"You know what _your_ problem is, Elena?" Anton questioned her. "You need to find yourself a man."

"I already have one", Elena told him, smiling again. "And he's standing right here in my living room."

"I meant a _real_ man", said Anton.

"But you _are_ a real man", Elena insisted. She paused for a minute, her smile dropping, and asked him, "You're not a queer, are you?"

"If I was, do you think I would be standing here right now?" Anton questioned her, sounding snarky.

Elena was silent for a minute. She lowered her head in shame, wishing she hadn't asked him that, and spoke in a low, soft voice, "I suppose not."

Anton shook his head and said to her, "No, I wouldn't."

Elena said nothing and avoided his gaze.

Anton knelt himself in front of her and placed his right hand under her chin and brought it up for Elena's eyes to meet with his. He tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and brought his hand around to the back of her head, freeing her ponytail and letting her long hair flow down past her shoulders.

"What you see is a man, but what you don't see is the man behind the mask", said Anton, as he stroked his hand down her left arm and moved his palm onto the flat surface of her stomach, pushing Elena back gently as she lied herself down against the coffee table.

"Oh, I'm sure", said Elena, breathlessly.

Anton placed his hand on his knee and stood up and slowly walked around to her right side. Their eyes never broke contact. A minute of silence stood between them, despite the low volume of Cuban music playing in the background. The hitman knelt beside the nurse and lightly traced his fingers along the inner portion of her right leg, to which Elena closed her eyes and allowed a soft moan of pleasure to escape from her parted lips.

Anton smiled at her in the most terrifying way possible, though she did not see it. "You have no idea what I'm capable of doing to you."

Feeling his hand trailing further up toward her thigh, Elena moaned louder and turned her head left and brought her hand up next to her face, still keeping her eyes closed and desperately resisting the urge to squirm underneath his touch.

Anton chuckled to himself, a mischievous look on his face, but quickly reverted back to his serious self and leaned his face closer to Elena's. He halted his caressing of her inner leg and brought his hand up to place it around the pale of her neck.

"You wish to know what it feels like, don't you?" Anton asked her soothingly, running the pad of his thumb slowly against her lower lip. "To surrender what is yours and have your barrier walls broken?"

"Yes", Elena whispered, longing for more.

"To know what is feel like to be a real woman?" Anton tempted her.

"Yes", Elena moaned, feeling his hot breath brush against her lips.

"To be overpowered by a man who would fuck you senseless to the point where you would willingly submit yourself to him?" Anton asked her, almost growling.

"Yes!" Elena groaned in sexual frustration. The heaviness in his voice was driving her mad to the point where she could almost feel the hot-blooded rush of arousal seeping between her legs, her heart fluttering inside her chest.

Just when he was about ready to take advantage of the situation, Anton stood up again and said to her, "Perhaps we should do this some other time."

Elena opened her eyes and turned her head right. She sat up at once and watched him cross the living room. "What are you saying? You don't want to?"

Anton turned off the phonograph completely and looked back at Elena. "I just don't want you to get any menstrual blood on me", he said.

Caught off guard by his unimaginable choice of words, Elena raised her eyebrows at him, looking offended. She stood up and walked over to Anton, eying him angrily, and said to him, "This conversation never happened. And now if you'll excuse me, I need to take a shower."


	15. Up in Smoke

A month and two weeks had passed since the hitman and the nurse first met each other. Pretty soon, Anton no longer needed the sling and was finally able to take care of himself on his own. Although he had been reluctant about seeing the child with the special gift again, Anton agreed to accompany Elena to the hospital twice a week and spend the day with Sophia in her room. Upon personal request, Sophia told Anton no more about his past or what the future held for him. Only three times during his visits did Sophia blank out for a minute, often returning back to reality shortly after receiving a vision. She did not tell him what she saw. Most of the time, Anton would watch over her while she slept, or read to her one of the many storybooks she kept next to her bed. By the end of the day, Elena came back to check on Sophia and say goodbye to her, before she and Anton returned home.

One night as they were eating dinner together, Anton noticed that Elena was far more quiet than usual.

"You all right?" Anton asked her.

"Yeah, I'm just thinking", Elena answered, not looking at him.

"What are you thinking about?"

Elena looked at him for a minute, before she shook her head and turned her attention back to her plate. "Nothing", she whispered.

Knowing he wasn't going to get anywhere with her just by asking, Anton placed his left hand over her right and said to her, "Tell me what's wrong."

Elena looked at him again, failing to hide the sadness in her eyes. She did not want to admit anything was wrong, but something was.

"You remember the day we first met?" Elena asked him.

"Yes, I do", Anton answered.

"Before we left Odessa, you told me that once your arm was healed, you would leave", said Elena. "Well...it's been almost two months, your arm is just about better..."

A moment of silence stood between them, but Anton knew just what she was thinking.

"You want me to stay, don't you?"

Elena gave him a slight nod of her head and confessed, "I'd like you to stay, yes...but I know I can't tell you what to do either. It's your choice if you want to stay here or not, but whatever you decide, I'll just have to accept it."

Anton said nothing and looked at her for a minute, searching for an answer in those beautiful turquoise eyes of hers. Many times, he had thought about leaving her after his recovery, but now it seemed he found himself being given a first-time option of making his own decision in life. This was not some sick, twisted version of a coin toss. It was an offering. An option still, but an offering nonetheless. Anton thought he should be offended by this and try to make her the victim in this situation, but knew better than to even think that for one minute. Elena was not a victim. She was a nurse. More than that, she was a woman who cared about him. Whether she wanted him to stay or not, the hitman's mind was made up.

Anton took his and Elena's plate and stood up and walked over to place them in the sink. He stood there for a minute with his head down and placed his hands onto the counter, balling his right hand into a fist and knocking twice. He glanced out the window and looked outside. It was dark. Not a soul to be seen. Not even the chirping of crickets could be heard.

"I've been thinking", he said at last.

 _Oh, God, here it goes_ , Elena thought to herself, closing her eyes and feeling anxious.

Anton turned around and looked at her, placing his hands on either side of the counter behind him and leaning back a bit. "What if I did decided to stay?"

Elena open her eyes and looked up at him. "Really?"

"I've given myself a lot of time to think it over", said Anton, walking over to Elena as he spoke. "And in all honesty, I don't have anywhere else to go."

Elena stood up and asked him, "Then why don't you just stay here with me?"

"I didn't think you would approve."

"Why wouldn't I approve? I trust you, don't I?"

Her words hit him hard, though he did not show it. Knowing this was going to be very difficult for her to understand, Anton placed the palm of his left hand to her right cheek and said, "There's something I have to tell you."

"What is it, Anton?" Elena asked him.

Struggling to find the right words felt strange to him, something he never had trouble in doing before, but just when Anton was about to speak, the phone rang.

Elena turned around and looked towards the living room. She looked back at Anton and said, "Excuse me." She went into the living room and picked up the phone, putting the receiver to her ear and answering, "Hello?...Hi, Officer Olson. What can I do for you?" Elena turned her head right and looked at Anton, who walked over to her and stood nearby to listen. Elena looked away from him and spoke into the receiver again. "Yeah, I know him. What-" Elena paused for a minute and blinked, her eyes widening in shock. "...What?..." Elena suddenly put a hand over her mouth, a look of concern and fear painted over her face. She placed her hand over her heart and said, "Oh...Oh, no. What-...Y-yes, yes. I'll be right there...Goodbye!" Elena hung up the phone and turned to grab her keys off the coffee table. "Come on, Anton! We gotta go!"

"What's wrong now?" Anton asked her, following Elena out the door.

"There was a fire at the church over on Crane Street", Elena explained to him, running over and getting into her car.

Anton got in on the passenger's side and shut the door. "What did they tell you?"

Elena put the keys into the ignition and started up the car. She placed her hands on the wheel and looked at Anton and answered him, "Gordon Burrows was there."

Arriving at the hospital, Elena had been informed by a coworker that Gordon Burrows was placed into a room on the same floor as his daughter. Although he was still alive, there was a high possible chance that he would not survive the night.

Elena and Anton took the elevator and went up to the third floor. Once they stepped out, they only needed to look four doors down to find Gordon. Elena was completely unprepared when she saw him. His face was pale, despite the bleeding from his head, and his legs looked to have suffered from third-degree burns, giving them the appearance of two charred redwood trees. Second degree burns affected his right arm, which was connected to a morphine drip, though not as badly as his legs. An oxygen mask was placed over his mouth and nose. All in all, he looked to be asleep, as evident by the raspy breathing coming from his throat, his chest slowly raising with each struggling breath.

Elena approached him worriedly, tears filling her eyes as she carefully looked over his injured form. She looked at his face, white as the sheets, and felt the urge to stroke his head and let him know that he was going to be all right.

Feeling a hand on her left shoulder, Elena turned around and saw it was Anton. One look into those dark eyes of his and she knew that all hope for Gordon's survival was shattered. Elena allowed a sob to release from her throat and placed her arms around Anton, who hugged her back in return, placing a hand on the back of her head and comforting her in the only way he knew how to.

A wheezing breath from the severely-burned man made Elena turn around and look at him.

Gordon opened his eyes, looking as though he were in a daze, and slowly turned his head left to look at the woman next to him. "...Eh...Elena?..."

"Oh, Gordon", Elena whispered, devastated. She kneeled down next to him.

Gordon removed his oxygen mask and slowly placed his left hand over Elena's right hand. "It...It's all right", he rasped.

"Gordon, please don't talk", Elena begged him, not caring that her face was wet with fallen tears.

"No, listen", Gordon insisted, breathing heavily as he squeezed her hand gently, trying to hold on to whatever little strength he had left. "...I...I don't know what...what happened, Elena. I..." Gordon closed his eyes and released a soft moan of pain. Elena gently caressed the right side of his face with her free hand, soothing him as he wheezed again. He opened his eyes and spoke again. "We were...just getting ready to leave the church and...that's when we started to smell the smoke...We tried opening the doors, but we couldn't get out...It was like...somebody had locked them from the outside."

Elena nodded her head and told him, "I understand." She lowered her head for a minute, tightening her lips as she did so. A moment of silence followed. Gordon blinked and looked up at Anton, who stared down at him and said nothing. Although his expression was stoic, there appeared to be something of an apologetic look in his eyes.

Elena looked at Gordon again and forced a weak smile onto her face. "I talked with the doctors just a while ago", she informed him. "They said you're gonna be okay."

Gordon shut his eyes and leaned his head back against the pillow, groaning in annoyance. "Don't lie to me, Olmsted", he said. "We both know I'm not gonna make it. Even Johnny Ramone standing behind you knows I'm not gonna make it." Gordon inhaled sharply and released her hand and put his fist to his mouth, coughing roughly. Elena stood up at once, watching him with concern.

Gordon rested his left hand at his side and breathed heavily. He opened his eyes again and focused them onto Anton. "You...", Gordon croaked, indicating for him to come closer. Elena backed away and allowed for Anton to approach him. The man who once thought himself as an agent of death stepped forward and looked down upon the dying victim. Gordon was silent for a minute, staring up at Anton as he grabbed onto the hem of his shirt, and whispered to him, "...Take care of Sophia for me...Tell her I'm sorry..." And just like that, Gordon Burrows closed his eyes, a tear rolling down both cheeks, and released his grip as he exhaled his last and final breath.

Elena pushed Anton out of the way and yelled, "No, no, no! Gordon, please don't do this!" She pressed both hands down onto his chest and started doing compressions. "Gordon, wake up! Please, wake up! You can't do this!" Elena leaned over him and put her ear to his heart, listening for any sign of vital activity, but there was nothing. "Oh, Jesus, no", Elena whispered, putting a hand to her face and crying over the loss of a friend.

As a grief-stricken Elena sobbed over the dead body of Gordon Burrows, Anton Chigurh slipped quietly out of the room and went down to room 17.

He found Sophia sound asleep in bed, her right hand lying palm up on her pillow. Anton walked over to her and sat down on her bed and stroked her head, awakening the seven-year-old in the process. Sophia opened her eyes and looked up and saw the dark-clothed hitman with his signature pageboy haircut looking down at her. She sat up in bed, knowing for sure why he was here.

"You knew this was going to happen, didn't you?" Anton asked her.

"I did", said Sophia. "I just didn't know it was gonna happen this soon."

"That's foolish", Anton told her. "You knew exactly when this was going to happen, you just didn't say anything. Why?"

"I don't know why I was born with this power", said Sophia, sounding like she was about to cry. "Sometimes I see things I don't understand or don't want to come true, but they do."

Seeing her trembling, as well as the tears that started falling from her eyes, Anton scooted himself closer to Sophia and wrapped his arms around her, allowing her to grief over the loss of her father, who loved her dearly.

"It's all my fault", Sophia sobbed, quietly.

"Don't say that", Anton told her, his voice soothing and gentle. "You didn't kill your father, Sophia. Somebody else did." Anton heard her whimper and stroked her hair. "It's not your fault, _mija_."


	16. The Truth Revealed

Gordon Burrows was not the only victim who died from his wounds that night. Out of the twenty-five people that were hospitalized from the fire, two more souls were lost the following morning. The tragic news came as quite a shock to the people of Brainerd, their once-peaceful town disturbed by the sudden and unexpected fatality. Marge Gunderson was called in to investigate the scene of the incident, but due to the lack of evidence of who or what started the fire, the case left her baffled just as much as it did the other officers. There were no witnesses to report.

"You didn't find _anything_?"

"We couldn't find nothing, El. I had Lou and Olson search around and asking people questions, but so far, we haven't found nothing."

"You haven't had any witnesses come forward?"

"I told ya, El. We're still looking into it."

"So keep looking!"

Marge grabbed hold of her cousin's shoulders and said in a calm voice, "Elena, calm down. I know you're upset, and so am I, but now is not the time for us to loose our heads over the whole darn mess." Which was true. Despite her being able to maintain a deep sense of authority and optimism, Marge Gunderson could not deny that there was some part deep inside of her that was screaming over the heartbreaking situation.

"Marge, how can you be so calm about all this?" Elena questioned her.

"I'm not", Marge answered. The stoic expression on her face matched the grief in her voice.

Both women looked at the television just as the news came back on. The voice of a male newscaster was overheard, as footage of the burned-down Catholic church was shown on screen. The premise surrounded by police tape. People gathering around and talking among each other, asking what happened. An announcement was made about the three people who lost their lives, as a display of three images were shown. One of them was Gordon Burrows.

"What kind of monster would do such a thing?" Elena asked herself.

Marge shook her head. "I don't know, El, but whoever it was, we sure got a nasty fella on our hands."

Elena and Marge walked back into room 17 and found Sophia had fallen asleep. Anton was sitting in a chair next to her bed, while Marge's husband, Norm, stood by the window with his arms crossed. Both men looked at the two women.

Elena walked over to Anton, who rose up from the chair and asked her, "Are you all right?"

Elena did not answer him. She looked at Sophia and put the back of her hand to the little girl's cheek, which was damp with tears.

"Has she said anything?" Elena asked him.

"She's hasn't spoken a word since last night", Anton answered.

Marge went over to the window and stood next to her husband, grabbing onto his right arm and leaning her head against his shoulder. "Howya doin', hon?"

"Fine", said Norm, wiping something from his eye. "It's a darn shame, ain't it, Margie?"

"Yah", said Marge, sadly. "It's a horrible mess, it is."

The Gundersons stayed for two hours before Marge had to return to the station. Anton continued to watch over Sophia for the day, until the hour of 5:30 when Elena had finished her shift. Although she did not want to leave her daughter alone in her time of need, Elena was strongly encouraged by her coworkers, as well as Anton, that she should go home for the night. If any emergencies occurred, Dr. Benedict would call her right away. Elena obliged, though she still felt a twinge of guilt for "abandoning her", as she put it.

Things were different the next morning, for when Elena woke up and walked into the kitchen, she found Anton was already making breakfast for the two of them. Surprised as she was to see him cook for the first time, Elena did not protest and sat down at the table without saying a word.

Anton must have know she was there, for without even looking, he asked her, "Did you sleep okay?"

"Yes, thank you", Elena answered.

With skillet in hand, Anton turned around and walked over to the table, scraping some eggs onto Elena's plate in front of her. He added some onto his own and went back to place the skillet on the stove, exchanging it for the coffeepot. He filled two mugs and walked over to the table with them, handing one to Elena and taking a seat opposite of her.

Neither one spoke to each other as they ate, and for once, Elena was grateful for it. As per usual, Anton did not care much for conversation himself that morning, as it was painfully obvious to them both what the other one was thinking. Though neither one of them was responsible for the death of Gordon Burrows, the hitman and the nurse both knew that they now shared the same responsibility of taking care of his daughter.

Elena sipped the last of her coffee and said, "Thank you for the eggs."

"You're welcome", said Anton.

Anton took care of cleaning the dishes while Elena went to change into her nurse's uniform. After putting her hair into a high ponytail, Elena met Anton in the living room and went to say goodbye to him.

"Well, I guess I'm off", said Elena.

Anton dared himself by placing a gentle kiss on her forehead and said to her, "Take care."

Elena gave him a slight smile, her eyes twinkling due to his act of affectionate, and said to him, "I'll see you tonight." And then she left.

As soon as she got to the hospital, Elena went to check on Sophia and see how she was doing. Although she was awake, Sophia looked as though she was in a trance. When Elena sat down on her bed and tried speaking to her, the brokenhearted child looked at her with glossy eyes and refused to utter a word. Before attending to her nursing duties, Elena asked Sophia if there was anything she needed, and with mild success, she managed to get an answer out of her.

"I have to tell you something before you go home today", Sophia told her, speaking in a low, monotone voice.

"You want to talk about it right now?" Elena asked her.

Sophia thought about it a minute, a blank look on her face. "No."

Elena sighed through her nose, looking sadly at seeing the child in her emotionless state. "Okay", she said, rubbing Sophia's head. "I'll see how you're doing later, okay?"

Sophia said nothing, as she turned over on her right side and looked away from her legal guardian, the only family she had now.

Elena and a couple of others were assigned with taking care of the Catholic church victims. One man nearly died on them, but the staff was quickly able to revive him. At the end of the day, Elena went back to check on Sophia again. The seven year old looked to be more alert this time, as she was keeping herself busy by throwing Quincy up in the air and catching him in her hands. The child saw that her nurse was standing in the doorway and purposely tossed the plush shark over to her. Elena caught Quincy in her hands and walked over to Sophia with him, putting on a brave smile. She sat down on the bed and placed the plush shark onto Sophia's lap.

"How are you feeling, baby?" Elena asked her.

Sophia shrugged her shoulders and said in a soft voice, "I don't know."

"You don't know?" Elena asked her.

"I have something to tell you."

"What is it, sweetie?"

Sophia hesitated for a minute, feeling powerless to stop the impending doom of what was about to befall. Finally, she said, "It's about Anton."

Elena paused for a minute and asked her, "What do you mean?"

Sophia lowered her eyes, a look of guilt written all over her face. "I know I promised him I wouldn't tell anybody, but I think I should tell you before something else happens."

Elena looked at Sophia with a raised eyebrow of suspension. "Did he do something to you?"

Sophia blinked and brought her eyes back to meet with Elena's. "No", she answered. "But if I tell you something personal about his life, will you promise not to get mad at him?"

Elena gave her a serious look and asked her in a stern tone of voice, "Sophia, what are you talking about?"

At that moment, Anton was busy changing the sheets on Sophia's bed. He just got done smoothing out the wrinkles on the bedspread when the flashing of headlights outside caught his attention. Looking out the window, Anton could see the blue 1975 Volkswagen pull up to the front of the house. When he saw a furious-looking Elena step out of the car and slam the door loudly, he should have known right away that things were about to go from bad to worse.

Soon as he walked out into the living room, Anton saw Elena walk through the front door and greeted her with a friendly smile, but Elena ignored him completely and walked right into the kitchen. His smile faded upon this act of rudeness.

Elena took out a bottle of milk from the fridge and drank deeply, letting the white liquid drip off of her chin.

Anton stood in the entrance of the kitchen, placing his hands on his hips, and asked her, "Rough day at the hospital?"

Elena lowered the bottle and glared at him with killer eyes. "You have a lot of nerve talking to me like that", she said, coldly.

Anton's expression gave off a slight confusion. "Like what?"

"You can drop the act anytime now, Anton", Elena told him. "And don't try to play innocent with me."

Anton rolled his eyes at Elena and said to her, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"STOP LYING TO ME!" Elena shouted, throwing the milk bottle at Anton, who reacted quickly by moving out of the way. The bottle shattered against the entranceway. "I know exactly who and what you are, contract killer!"

Anton looked at her with fear in his eyes, wide as they were upon hearing what she had just called him.

"Sophia told me everything", Elena explained to him. "And I really don't appreciate what she had to say." Elena turned away from Anton and went to open a drawer, pulling out a roll of money wrapped in a rubber band and holding it up for him to see. "You know what this is? This was all I found on you that day when I rescued you in Odessa. No driver's license. No identification. Nothing! Just a bunch of fucking blood money!"

Elena threw the wad of cash at Anton, who caught it in his hand and calmly stuck it into his pocket. His expression slowly went back to his usual stoic demeanor.

"Now I understand everything", said Elena, bitterly. Her eyes were beginning to fill with tears. "All those stupid antic of yours. You not wanting to tell me anything about your life, let alone your job. How could you lie to me like that, Anton? After everything I've done for you!"

Anton walked over to her and said, "I never lied to you about anything."

"You didn't tell me nothing because you knew I would call the cops if I found out, is that it?" Elena questioned him.

Anton stopped himself two feet away from her and said, "If you knew what was good for you, you would have left me to die there on the side of the road. You made the choices that brought you to this, that brought you to meeting me. You've harbored feelings for me ever since the day we met. You weren't certain at first, but now that you see for yourself the true face of the angel of death, you don't want me anymore."

Elena shook her head, hardly believing a word he was saying. Her face became red and wet with falling tears. "I don't understand", she said.

Anton took a step toward her and grabbed her hands and said, "I think you do, Elena. You just don't-"

Elena pulled herself away and yelled at him, " **STOP IT!** Stop talking to me! Just stop talk-" In the midst of her outburst, Elena put her hands to her face and cried softly, her body shaking.

Anton looked at her without so much as a scrap of remorse, though his heart told him something entirely different. It hurt him to see her like this, to see her find out the ugly truth about his once-proud occupation that he was now personally ashamed of. To him, it was the car accident all over again, only worse.

Elena lowered her hands and managed to pull herself together enough to speak to him. "Do you have any idea how badly this affects me?" She asked him.

Anton did answer her right away. Just as he was about to reach out to her again, Elena slapped him hard across his face. A strangled sob burst from her trembling lips.

Angered over her resentment of him, Anton slowly looked at Elena with calm, but dangerous eyes and said in a low voice, "Sophia warned me this would happen one day."

Elena held her arms across her chest and shook her head and looked at him with disgust. "How dare you", she whispered. "How dare you use my own daughter against me."

With all that said, Anton Chigurh saw only one way out of this situation. He did not want to do it, but seeing how his life was at stake again, he reached into his pocket and pulled a quarter and flipped it into the air. He caught it in the palm of his right hand and set it down on the counter next to him. "Call it."

"Call what?" Elena asked him. "You're still not making any sense!"

"You need to call it, Elena", he said, softly. "I can't call it for you. Heads or tails?"

Elena shook her head, defiantly. "No!"

"This is the only way I can offer to help you save yourself", said Anton. "I don't want to hurt you, but I will do what I have to if necessary...Call it."

Elena thought it over a minute, her lips tightening in anticipation, knowing that her life was in danger at the hands of this man, someone who thought he was an agent of fate. "I'll play your stupid coin toss one last time then", Elena told him. "But this time, we play by _my_ rules."

"Name them", said Anton.

"Heads, I call the cops and you can go to Hell for all I care. Tails, you walk out of here and never come back."

Because of his love for Elena, this was the only time he would ever allow for someone to decide their fate based on their own rules instead of his. Despite the stoic, expressionless mask he used to hide his weakness, he could not decide who felt more vulnerable in this situation: himself or Elena.

Anton uncovered the coin hiding under his hand. For a moment, he didn't speak. Finally, he looked at Elena. She couldn't be too sure, but there looked to be a glistening in his left eye, as though a tear was starting to form.

Without saying another word, Anton Chigurh turned around and walked out of the kitchen and went into the living room and walked out the front door, slamming it behind him.

Elena stood there for a minute, a silent tear falling from each of her eyes. She turned her head left and looked at the coin lying down on the counter. It was tails.


	17. Time Apart

Elena did not sleep all night. She was afraid that Anton would break his word and come around again when she least expected it, but he never returned.

The following morning, Elena made herself a cup of coffee and watched the local news channel for any updates about the church fire, or to see if there were any recent killings around town, but nothing new came about.

Just at that moment, the phone rang. Elena reached over and picked up the phone, putting the receiver to her ear and answering, "Hello?"

No one answered her back.

"Hello?" She tried again, but there was nobody there. "Hello?"

The phone line went off.

Elena looked at the phone and put it back down. She stood up and went over to turn off the television and left to go to work for the day.

Soon as she got to hospital, Elena was confronted by Dr. Benedict, who ran into her.

"Oh! Miss Olmsted, I'm so sorry."

"That's all right", said Elena, keeping her head down as she walked past him.

Dr. Benedict turned around and said, "Elena, wait!"

Elena stopped and turned around to look at him. Judging by the expression on Dr. Benedict's face, she wasn't sure whether he had good news or bad news to tell her.

"What is it?" Elena asked him, worriedly.

Dr. Benedict held up a clipboard for her to see and said, "I've been going over Sophia's health charts, I ran some tests, and I thought you should have a look at the results." He handed the clipboard to Elena, who looked over the paperwork for a minute. Finally, she looked at Dr. Benedict with disbelief.

"That's impossible. A month ago, she was-"

"I know", said Dr. Benedict. "I've run the tests three times and they've all come back negative."

Elena looked over the paperwork again and shook her head, whispering to herself, "I don't believe it."

"With your permission, Elena, I would like to keep Sophia here just a little bit longer", said Dr. Benedict. "Just to make sure she's made a full recovery. You can expect to bring her home by Friday, at best."

Although she should have been glad that Sophia's leukemia was cured, Elena just didn't have the enlightenment to show for it.

Dr. Hartman's voice was heard over the intercom, asking for Nurse Olmsted.

"Well, I should be getting back to work", said Elena, handing the clipboard back to Dr. Benedict.

"Elena, are you sure you're all right?" Dr. Benedict asked her.

She didn't answer. And she didn't look back.

Soon as she finished her shift, Elena thought about going to check on Sophia, but then remembered the last time she spoke to the child. She still felt hurt over the awful truth about Anton, a man who she thought she knew. A man who she thought she could trust. The harsh reality of the fact that he was a contract killer still left a hole in her heart. All that Elena could think of was this: If Sophia knew about Anton and his profession the whole time, why didn't she say anything? Despite her better judgment, Elena decided to leave the hospital without saying goodbye to her daughter. She felt no remorse for her heartless action.

The next day was no better. Preparations for the funeral of Gordon Burrows were already being made, as well as for the two other victims who lost their lives in the fire. A candlelight vigil was held in the park that night, though Elena did not wish to attend the gathering. After work, and after not saying goodbye to Sophia, who she was purposely avoiding, Elena decided to drive by the Gunderson residence. She parked across the street and sat in her car for five minutes, debating herself over whether or not to inform her cousin about Anton. Eventually, Elena decided to skip the whole thing and headed on home for the night.

Just as she stepped through the door, Elena heard the phone ring and went over to pick up the handset.

"Hello?" Elena answered. Once again, nobody spoke on the other end. "Is anyone there?...Hello?"

The phone went dead and was disconnected.

Elena looked at the phone and set it back down.

Around two o'clock in the morning, Elena heard the telephone ring and got out of bed to go answer it. She walked out into the living room and picked up the handset and spoke into the phone, "Hello? Look, this isn't funny anymore. Either you say something or I'll-"

Her words were cut off, as the phone line was disconnected again.

Elena slammed the phone down and ran her fingers through her hair, letting out a frustrated sigh. She sat down on the couch and rested her hands in her lap, leaning back and looking over towards the window. She stood up and went over to make sure it was locked. It was. Taking drastic measures to ensure her own safety, Elena walked back into her bedroom and opened the top drawer on her nightstand and pulled out the Beretta 92. She picked up the alarm clock from off the nightstand and went back out into the living room. Elena set the alarm clock on the coffee table and went over to stand in front of the door. She practiced pointing the gun at the door, keeping the safety locked on, but still unlocking it every know and then, anticipating a surprise attack from Anton.

Half an hour went by and nothing happened. Elena was now walking back and forth across the living room floor, glancing at the clock every five minutes just to check the time. Finally, at 3:22 in the morning, Elena felt her eyes starting to get heavy and decided to lie down on the couch. She put the safety back on the gun and placed it in her lap and threw a quilted blanket over herself and closed her eyes and went to sleep.

On the third morning following Anton's absence, Elena was awoken by the loud ringing of the phone. She opened her eyes and sat up at once, looking over at the accursed rotary. She let out an exasperated sigh and threw the quilt off of her and placed the Beretta 92 on the coffee table. She stood up and went over to pick up the phone.

"Hello?" Elena answered, sounding angry. "Look, Anton, if this is you, this isn't a game anymore. Either you speak up or I'm calling the cops! Do you understand me?!"

The phone line disconnected again.

Elena slammed the phone down. She picked up the Beretta 92 and walked down the hall and went into her bedroom, hiding the gun under her pillow. She went into the bathroom and locked the door. She took a shower and washed her hair, along with the rest of her body. Afterwards, she dried herself off and went back into her bedroom and got dressed.

Just as she was about to walk out the front door and go to work, Elena heard the phone ring again. She stood where she was and calmly closed the door and turned around and glared at the telephone. Elena marched over and picked up the phone and screamed into it, " **WHAT DO YOU WANT!?** "

There was a pause before a familiar voice answered. " _El?_ "

Elena's eyes grew wide with shock. It was Marge.

" _Elena, are you all right?_ " The voice of Marge asked her.

Elena placed a hand over her mouth, feeling embarrassed and ashamed. "Oh, Margie, I'm so sorry", she apologized.

" _Is everything okay? I just saw Marty Benedict on my way to the station and he said you were looking down the other day. Is everything all right, El?_ "

Elena sat down in a chair and admitted sadly, "Not really, Margie...Anton's gone."

" _Gone? What do you mean? What happened?_ "

"He walked out on me. We got into a fight and he left."

" _Oh, yah?_ "

"I haven't seen or heard from him in two days. I don't know where he is, I don't know where he went..." Elena paused for a minute, before she lowered her head and put a hand to her face. "Oh, Margie, I'm so scared", she whispered.

" _All right now. Don't get upset. Did you fill out a report?_ "

"No. It really isn't necessary."

" _Well, Elena, you know I can't help you unless I know what the fight was about. Now, if you want to, I can-_ "

Elena felt her eyes starting to fill with tears. She put a hand to her mouth and tried to keep herself from letting a sob escape from her lips. It failed.

Marge paused for a minute and asked her cousin, " _El? El, are you crying?_ "

Elena sniffled and said, "No, I'm not crying. I'm just...I have to go now, Marge. I'll talk to you later."

Elena hung up the phone and covered her face with her hands, sobbing. She blamed that damn Anton for doing this to her. Why was she protecting him? Was it because she still loved him? No. It had to be fear. Whatever it was, Elena just couldn't bare it in her heart to tell her cousin. Marge trusted Anton, and if she were ever to find out the truth about him, Elena was sure that her cousin would be utterly devastated.

Arriving at the hospital, Elena went about her day as though none of the drama in her life was affecting her. Around the hour of noon, she saw Dr. Benedict and purposely bumped into him, letting him know that she was unhappy about his conversation with her cousin. Dr. Benedict stared at her as she walked right by him, though he never questioned her about it. He had more important matters to attend to, as did she.

At 4:17 p.m., Elena went up to the third floor and walked down the hall and stood in the doorway of room 17.

Sophia turned her head left and sat up in bed and asked her nurse, "Where have you been?"

Calmly, but with fuming eyes, Elena slowly walked over to Sophia and stood by her bedside and looked down upon her. "Why didn't you tell me he was dangerous?"

Sophia picked up Quincy and held the plush shark tightly in her arms. "I thought you could make him change his mind", the child answered.

"How?" Elena demanded. "By having _me_ make an honest man out of him? Sophia, he lied to me."

Sophia was quiet for a minute, staring up at Elena with those soulful eyes of hers. "Are you gonna stay mad at him forever?" She asked her mother.

With extreme patience, Elena shook her head and said, "I don't want to talk about it."

"Why not?" Sophia asked her.

"I just don't!" Elena answered, raising her voice. Sitting down on the bed, Elena grabbed Sophia by her upper arms and tried to explain to her, "Look, sweetie, I know you see Anton as a father figure, but you don't know what kind of man he is. He's a bad man. He's a really bad man."

"He's only a bad man because you choose to look at the negative side!" Sophia argued. "He's a changed man now, Elena. You and I both helped him to see that. Anton loves you and you love him. I can see it in both your eyes."

Elena did not want to believe Sophia's words were true. Thinking her mind had been poisoned by the likes of the hitman, a cold-blooded killer who had taken the lives of God knows how many people, Elena rose back up and said to the child in a low, but threatening tone of voice, "I am going to go home now, and when I get there, I am calling the police. And I can assure you, Sophia Burrows, that you will never see him again."

Just as Elena turned around and started to walk out the door, an angry Sophia looked to her right and picked up a half-eaten apple and threw it at Elena, hitting her in the back of her head. Elena placed a hand behind her head and let out a cry of pain.

"If you leave now, you're going to have a very bad accident!" Sophia shouted.

Elena turned around and looked at Sophia and glared at her with cold-filled eyes, the turquoise of her irises almost completely extinguished of light. Sophia was unfazed by her mother's threatening expression.

Elena walked back over to the little girl and reached into the pocket of her nurse dress and took out a quarter with the year 1949 on it and placed it onto the bed. The coin was facing heads up.

"Karma is a bitch, Little Miss Burrows", said Elena. Her voice sounded dark and cold. "Get used to it." With all that said, Elena turned her back and stormed out of the room.

Sophia felt her face turn red and warm, as tears started to fill her dark brown eyes. She turned over on her right side and hugged her beloved Quincy to her chest, crying softly. She was mad at Elena for not trusting her. She was mad that Elena did not want to give Anton a chance to redeem himself. Because of this, Sophia began to wish that Elena was dead. She wished it was Elena who had died instead of her birth father, who she missed so much. Remembering the quarter she had left behind, Sophia turned her head left and reached over and picked up the coin. She calmed herself down and looked at the quarter in her hand, examining it. Clenching her hand tightly around the coin, Sophia closed her eyes and whispered softly to herself, "Please let him answer me."


	18. Car Accident

For the past three days, Anton had been staying at a motel just outside of Brainerd. After he left Elena's house, an old black woman named Mrs. Munson saw Anton walking along the side of the road and offered him a ride into town. When asked if she was local, Mrs. Munson replied no. Against his better judgment, Anton got into the car and showed Mrs. Munson the picture of Elena. When Anton asked if she knew her, Mrs. Munson looked at the photo and said no. Anton put the picture back into his shirt pocket and told Mrs. Munson to drop him off at the nearest motel.

Anton stayed in his room most of the time, almost never leaving expect to eat at the local diner two blocks down from the motel. He kept the curtains closed, shielding himself away from the world. He had thought about just leaving Brainerd and never coming back, but then his mind brought him back to Elena. Many times he thought about calling her and seeing if she was all right, but after the truth about him had been revealed, Anton thought it best to give Elena a bit of time alone and give her some space.

On the third day, around three in the afternoon, Anton Chigurh sat on the bed and lied down without taking his boots off. He placed one hand behind his head and rested the other across his chest, staring up at the ceiling. He thought about Elena, wondering if he would ever see her again. Eventually, he fell asleep.

He found himself standing in the middle of a familiar woodland, this time surrounded by fog. An uneasy feeling ran through him, as he looked around and tried to figure out where he was. Anton turned around and saw a shape appear through the mist. It took on the form of a beautiful white wolf. Unlike the ferocious beast that attacked him in his nightmare some weeks ago, this one seemed tamer than the other one.

Remembering what happened last time, Anton made no attempts to back away and remained right where he was. The white wolf was silent, staring back at him with gentle eyes. Strange as it was, Anton felt a familiar connection with the white wolf, almost as if he had known her in another life. Perhaps even years ago.

A bright light made Anton turned his head right and look over toward a pair of tall trees. The white wolf looked to her left and saw the same. The light came forth from between the two trees and slowly faded away, revealing a pale-skinned girl with brown hair and dark brown eyes. Anton recognized her. The white wolf seemed to known her, too.

Sophia appeared before them, wearing a long lilac dress with a tiara of orange blossoms wrapped around her head. She stared at Anton, who thought she looked like a princess, and then looked over at the white wolf, who waged her tail and whimpered. Sophia nodded her head, to which the white wolf ran over to her. Sophia dropped to her knees and hugged her arms around the white wolf's neck.

"This is a vision?" Anton asked her.

Sophia looked at him and said, "No."

"Then it is just a dream?" Anton asked her.

"If that's what you want to call it", said Sophia. The white wolf licked her face in affection, making Sophia giggle a little bit.

Anton shook his head and said, "I don't want to call it anything. That's what it is."

Sophia stood up and walked over to him. "You need to talk to her, Anton", she said.

Anton was silent for a minute. He glanced over at the white wolf, her soft amber-colored eyes giving off a loving sense of hope and wisdom. He then looked back at Sophia, who waited for his response. Finally, Anton sighed to himself and said, "Elena doesn't want to talk to me, Sophia."

"But she needs to", Sophia urged him.

With a look of irritation on his face, Anton took a step forward and demanded, "Why is this so important to you?"

The white wolf stood in front of Sophia and growled at Anton, protecting the child as if she were her own cub. The hitman took two steps back and found himself stumbling backwards onto the forest floor. The white wolf bared her teeth and snarled at Anton, who looked upon her with fear in his eyes.

Sophia stroked the white wolf's back and said to Anton, "Don't worry. She won't hurt you."

"How do you know?" Anton asked her, keeping his eyes focused on the white wolf.

"She's just doing her job of protecting me", Sophia answered him. "You know, like my mother used to do for me." Sophia looked at the white wolf and said to her, "It's okay. He's a friend." The white wolf concealed her fangs and sat down beside the child of seven.

Anton nodded his head slightly. "Motherly instincts", he whispered to himself.

Sophia rubbed the white wolf's head and picked up the skirt of her dress and walked over to Anton and sat down next to him.

"Why did you come here, Sophia?" Anton asked her. "Why bring me back to this place?"

"I came to give you another warning", Sophia told him. "Elena's getting herself into big trouble, Anton. You've got to stop her before it's too late."

"What kind of trouble?" Anton asked her.

"She's threatened to call the police and take you away from me", said Sophia.

Anton paused for a minute. "It took her this long to come to that conclusion?"

"Anton, this isn't funny!"

"I never said it was."

"So, what are you going to do?" Sophia asked him.

"I'm not going to do anything", Anton answered. "It's probably best that Elena does what she has to to protect you from the dangers of me."

"But you're not the same man anymore", Sophia told him. "You gave that up a long time ago, remember?"

"Sophia-"

"I know you've done bad things, but you can't decide everything based on logic or chance anymore. You can in a way, but right now you have to choose with your heart." Sophia placed a hand on his chest and said, "In here."

Anton looked down at where the child had placed her hand and overlapped it with his own, which was bigger than hers.

"I don't want you to leave", said Sophia. "I want you to stay. Elena wants you to stay, too, but she doesn't want to admit it. I tried to make her understand, but she wouldn't listen to me. You're her only hope now, Anton."

For a while, Anton was silent. Finally, he looked back at Sophia and asked her, "This really means a lot to you, doesn't it?"

Sophia said nothing, but nodded her head in response. The way her eyes spoke for her told him everything. She wasn't just asking him to go back to Elena. She was asking him to be a part of her family.

Anton cupped a hand under her chin and kissed Sophia on her forehead. The little girl wrapped her arms around him, as the man with the pageboy haircut placed his right arm around her and held her close. A howling from the white wolf made Anton look over at the magnificent creature. The white wolf stared back at him, a look of acceptance in her eyes.

Anton turned his head right and looked back at Sophia, but she was not there. His arm was holding onto nothing. He turned his head forward and looked back over at the white wolf, but she, also, was gone. Anton stood up and looked around him, calling out Sophia's name as the fog filled the air and engulfed him.

When he opened his eyes, Anton found himself lying down on a bed, secluded in a dark motel room. He sat up at once and looked over to his right. The digital clock on the dresser drawer read 4:45. He blinked a few times and then looked to his left. Anton threw his legs over to the side of the bed and stood up and walked over to the window, opening the curtains. The sky was already darkening. He stood there for a minute, thinking. Anton then turned around and picked up the pen lying down on the table and wrote something down on a notepad. He set the pen down and tore the note off and folded it and stuck it into his pant pocket.

After he checked himself out of the motel, Anton walked across the parking lot and stood out by the road near the entranceway. He looked to his left and saw headlights approaching in the distance. To his right, he heard tires screeching. He looked in that direction and saw a car swerving all over the road. The car was a white 1957 Ford Custom. It slowed down as it drove right by him. The shadow of the driver was obscured by tinted windows. The Ford Custom sped up again and rove the engine loudly. Anton watched as the vehicle swerved again and ran itself into the oncoming Volkswagen, hitting it on the driver's side and knocking it off the road. The Volkswagen rolled over once and landed into the ditch. The Ford Custom backed up and took off down the road.

Anton witnessed the whole incident from afar. For a moment, he didn't know what happened. The driver in the Ford Custom must have been looking at him for a reason. Why else would he have slowed down? What shocked Anton the most was the color of the Volkswagen Beetle, which was in the shade of royal blue.

Cautiously, Anton slowly walked over to the damaged Volkswagen and went around to the driver's side and felt his heart sink when he looked through the broken window. The driver, a woman, moaned in pain and slowly looked at him, a trickle of blood flowing down the side of her face, which was half-covered by her hair. Her eyes were the color of turquoise.

"Elena?"

"...Anton...", Elena spoke to him. Her voice was very low, but he still heard her.

Thinking quickly, Anton opened the caved-in door and carefully reached over Elena, unbuckling her.

"Anton-"

"I don't want you to speak", Anton said to her. "I'm going to get you out of here and you're gonna do as I say."

"No, please don't move me", Elena begged him, trying to suppress her tears.

Anton ignored her protest and carefully positioned one arm behind her back and placed the other one underneath her legs. In one forceful pull, Anton freed Elena from the wreckage, but the pain from the accident did not agree with her, as she let out a cry of agony and buried her face into his shirt, staining it with her blood and tears.

Setting her down gently onto the ground, Anton carefully looked over Elena and checked to see if she was injured anywhere. Taking note of her painful breathing, he placed a hand onto the left side of her ribcage. Elena let out a sharp gasp and clutched his wrist with her left hand, breathing heavily.

Anton looked at her and cupped her face with his right hand. His expression remained stoic as he spoke to her, "You're all right, Elena. Just lie still for a minute."

Elena opened her lips and tried to speak. "...Anton, I...I..."

"Just be quiet", Anton whispered.

Elena closed her eyes and felt her head limp over to one side.

Arriving in an ambulance to the hospital, Elena was immediately taking into urgent care. Anton waited out in the lobby and called Marge about the accident and told her about the Ford Custom. He hung up the phone and walked over to a corner and sat down in a chair and waited.

An hour later, Dr. Hartman came out and called out him name. "Anton?"

Anton looked over at her and stood up and walked over to Dr. Hartman. "How is she?"

"She's resting for now", said Dr. Hartman. "Elena is responding well to the treatment, but we'll probably have to keep her overnight just to be safe."

"Can I see her?"

"Sure."

Dr. Hartman led Anton into a room and opened the door for him. Anton stood in the doorway and looked at Elena, who was sleeping in a hospital bed. Her right arm was set in a white cast.

"Anton!"

Anton turned around and saw Marge running toward him. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. He was surprised by this, but chose not to hug her back in return. "I got here as fast as I could", said Marge. She looked at Anton and then turned her attention over to her cousin, walking into the room and sitting down on the bed. Anton walked over and stood right beside her.

For the first time since he met her, Anton Chigurh saw the chipper persona of Marge Gunderson slip away from her face and watched her eyes fill with heartbreaking tears. "Oh, jeez, Elena", Marge whispered to herself, clasping a hand over her mouth and crying softly over the sight of her beloved relative.

Anton was silent for a minute. His stoic expression remained, as he tilted his head to the right and asked Dr. Hartman, "What happened to her?"

"She's broken her wrist and maybe fractured a few ribs on her left side", Dr, Hartman answered him. "She also has a small cut on the side of her face, but that'll heal soon enough."

"Leave us", said Anton, not looking at her.

Dr. Hartman nodded, a look of sympathy on her face. "I'm sorry", Marge", she said. And then she left.

Marge sniffled and wiped away the tears from her face, breathing deeply and regaining her composure. She shook her head and placed a hand on her cousin's left wrist. "Elena, who did this to you?"

Anton turned his head left and looked away and sighed to himself, as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the note and looked at it and turned his attention back to Marge. "I know you have a lot on your mind right now, but when you get the chance, I need you to do me a favor", he said. He handed the note to Marge and said, "I need you to look up everything you can about these two."

Marge took the note and unfolded it and read the names written on it. "Salvador and Raquel...Chi...Chai-"

"Chigurh", Anton corrected her. "Salvador and Raquel Chigurh."

"Uh-huh", Marge said to herself, still looking at the note. "You think these two have something to do with-"

Marge Gunderson turned her head to look at Anton, only to discover that he was gone. Somehow he had managed to slip out of the room without her noticing, almost as if he were a ghost.


	19. The Man Comes Around

The next morning, Elena woke up and was greeted by her cousin Marge, who had stayed by her side all through the night. When asked if she remembered anything about the accident, Elena ignored the question and asked Marge if she had seen any sign of Anton.

"He was here last night, but then he vanished", said Marge.

Elena looked at her worriedly and asked, "What do you mean he vanished?"

"I mean he left", Marge told her. "He told me to look into a couple named Salvador and Raquel Chigurh and then he left. Do those names mean anything to you?"

"No", Elena answered.

"You remember anything about the Ford Custom that hit you or what it looked like?" Marge questioned her.

Elena said she didn't remember anything about it. She didn't even mention that it was Anton who pulled her out of the wreck. It was in that moment that Marge suspected something bad was going on between them. Something had happened between the two that made them split apart. Though she was curious and determined to find out what it was, Marge knew it was best to make sure Elena was taken care of first. She decided to halt the questions for now and waited with her cousin for updates about her condition.

Dr. Hartman came in a while later and informed them that Elena was all right to go home in a few hours. Marge told Elena that her car had been towed in and taken into an impound lot by the police, so she offered to give her cousin a ride home in the prowler. Elena was silent as she was driven back to her house, and Marge Gunderson could tell from the sad look on her face that she was depressed. This was the second time her cousin had encountered a near-fatal experience with death and lived to tell the tale.

Once they arrived at the house, Marge opened the door for Elena and allowed her to enter first. Marge stepped inside after her and closed the door, while Elena went over and sat down on the couch. She kept her head down as she placed her left arm across her right arm, feeling the hard, protective covering of her cast.

"Are you sure you're gonna be all right, Elena?" Marge asked her.

Elena didn't answer her. She didn't even look at her.

Marge sighed to herself and said, "You know, Elena, you _can_ come stay with me and Norm for a while. Your old bedroom's still the same as it was when you left and-"

Elena turned her head left and said in a monotone voice, "I appreciate your help, Marge, I really do, but right now I just want to be left alone."

Marge nodded her head and said, "All right. Do you want me to help you with anything before I go?"

"No", said Elena, quietly. "Just go home."

Marge stood there for a minute, staring at Elena. "All right."

With nothing else to say, Marge turned around and opened the door and went out.

Elena sat there in silence, thinking. She knew that Marge was only trying to help her, but the last thing Elena wanted was to be around other people. It was bad enough she had allowed a murderer to enter into her own home, unknowingly, but what was even worse for Elena was that she know felt completely helpless to do anything about it.

Elena stood up and walked over to the window and looked through the curtain of white lace and watched Marge get into the prowler. She started up the engine and backed up and turned and drove up the trail.

Once her cousin was gone, Elena was left all alone to take care of herself. She closed the curtain and turned around and walked over and went down the hall to the end of the house. She turned to the left and stood in front of her bedroom door, which was slightly open. She didn't remember leaving it like that. Elena wasn't sure if Anton was waiting for her inside the room or not, but if he was, she didn't care whether she lived or died at this point. Summoning up as much courage as she could, Elena slowly pushed the door open and found he was not there.

Elena looked at the bed and walked over to it and picked up the pillow. To her surprise, the Beretta 92 was still under it. Elena turned her head left and looked over toward the closet. She thought about going over there with the gun to inspect it, but then decided to skip the idea. _Why even bother?_ She thought to herself

Elena set the pillow back down and walked around and sat down on the right side of the bed for a minute. She placed her left hand on the mattress and lifted her legs and lied herself down on the bed. She scooted herself over and rested her right arm across her stomach and lied her head on the pillow, breathing heavily. Elena turned her head left and closed her eyes, feeling fresh hot tears leaking down the side of her face. The pain in her ribs and right wrist intensified. She lied her left hand onto the pillow next to her face and cried softly, slowly drifting off to sleep and hoping her suffering would end permanently.

In the dead of night, Elena opened her eyes and found herself lying in the darkness of her bedroom. The pain subsided, but she now felt numb and cold. Elena felt a presence that somebody was in the room with her. She turned her head right and looked up. And then she saw him.

A tall man of thirty-something years was looking down upon her. He had an expressionless face. His eyes were a slightly darker shade of brown compared to the natural color of his hair, which was hanging to just below his ears and with the ends turning under. In order to accommodate for his ridiculous haircut, his choice of fashion consisted of a dark blue denim jacket, a long-sleeved, brown cotton shirt, black pants, and a pair of cowboy boots. The only thing missing was a silenced shotgun or a captive bolt pistol, though she did not know this.

"What are you doing here?" Elena asked him, sounding calm and unafraid.

"You know why I'm here", said Anton.

"Then why don't you get it over with?"

Anton looked at her and said nothing.

"Go on!" Elena dared him. "Kill me if it'll make you feel better."

"I'm not going to kill you", said Anton. "It wouldn't be fair."

Elena stared at him for a minute. Slowly, she raised herself up onto her left elbow and sat up straight, ignoring the dull ache that returned to the left side of her ribs. "What are you talking about?" She asked him.

"You saved my life once before", said Anton. "Now I am saving yours."

Elena looked at him strangely and asked him, "You think you're God or something?" Elena shook her head and told, him, "You're not God. You're a nihilist. A renouncer of everything good and pure in this world."

Anton remained silent and said nothing. He looked down and reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a syringe and a vial of liquid tranquilizer.

Elena looked at the two items in his hand and asked him, "What's that?"

Ignoring her, Anton took the vial in one hand and used the needle to pierce through the seal, filling the glass barrel to the brim. He set the vial on the nightstand and tapped the syringe twice and gently pressed the plunger with his thumb until some of the liquid squirted out. He then looked at Elena.

"What are you doing?" Elena asked him, her voice a little bit stronger that time. A looked of worry painted her face.

"I'm doing this for your own good, Elena", said Anton.

"No!"

Elena turned herself over and attempted to reach behind her pillow and grab the gun, but instead found a strong hand grab her by the back of her hair. She screamed and felt him flip her over onto her back again. It all happened at once, as Anton mounted himself on top of Elena and locked his legs around her waist and struggled with her, fighting her as held her down with his left hand on her right shoulder. Elena reached up with her left hand and grabbed hold of his right wrist, stopping him from bringing the needle down. She fought him and tried to free herself from his tight hold on her, but Anton was much more bigger and stronger than she was. He pulled his wrist free from her grasp and stabbed the needle into her chest, making her gasp in pain. He pressed the plunger of the syringe and released the sedative into her veins and pulled the needle out. Elena looked at him with bewildered eyes and felt as though her heart was in her throat. Anton stared back at her with a bored and uninterested expression on his face, as though he were asking her if all that fuss was really necessary. Elena already started to feel dizzy and, in a last minute effort, tried to grab a handful of his hair, but only ended messing it up in the process. Anton didn't react to this, for her grip on him soon weakened. Elena lost consciousness and blacked out.

When Elena woke up the next morning, she opened her eyes and found a quilted blanket was thrown over her. She did not need to guess who had covered her with it. She sat up slowly and moaned in pain, as she placed a hand on her left side and felt a slight bruising. Looking down at herself, Elena was shocked to find that she was now clothed in her white nightgown. She had come home from the hospital after the car accident wearing nothing but a thin paper dress. Not only had this sociopathic hitman broken into her house, but he had also stripped her down while she was drugged and unconscious.

Elena turned her head right and saw three new items were lying on top of the nightstand. A glass of water, a plate of food, and a single white caplet. Elena couldn't remember the last time she had eaten anything. A few days maybe. She picked up the caplet and put it into her mouth. She then picked up the glass of water and took a small sip and set it back down. She reached over and set the plate on her lap and started eating. Since her right arm was temporarily disabled, Elena had to use her left hand to hold the fork. It wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. After she finished, Elena set the plate back on the nightstand and picked up the Bible, hoping the words of the Lord would give her some comfort.

Half an hour later, the door opened and Anton entered into her room. Elena paused her reading and looked at him. He wasn't wearing the denim jacket anymore. His pageboy haircut, thought still ridiculous the more she thought about it, looked as though he had recently groomed it. Not a single hair was out of place.

Elena focused her eyes back onto the Holy Scripture and ignored him. Anton took no offense to this and ignored her all the same, as he walked around to the right side of the bed and took her plate away and left. Their eyes never met each other.

Elena continued reading her Bible for another hour. She closed it and set it aside and threw the blanket off of her and placed her feet onto the floor. She stood up and walked around the bed and out the door and went to use the bathroom across the hall. After she finished and washed her hands, Elena walked out into the hall and looked to her left. She was curious as to where the hitman was and what he was doing. Slowly, Elena walked down the hall and out into the living room. He was not there. Her eyes looked toward the direction of the kitchen. She walked over and stood near the entrance, but he wasn't there either. The rustling of clothing soon gave her an answer. Towards the left corner of the kitchen was a small laundry room. Elena went over and stood near the doorway and saw Anton was folding a few clothes and placing them into two piles on top of the washer. He noticed her and shot his eyes at Elena and stopped what he was doing, but said nothing. Odd as it was to see a man like him doing housework, it made Elena feel better to know that at least the house was being taken care of. Knowing that he was doing no harm to nothing, Elena turned around and walked away from him and went back to her room.

Once she got back to her bedroom, Elena lied down on her bed and turned over on her right side and rested her right hand onto her pillow and stared at the wall for a while, listening to her own quiet breathing. The pale blue coloring gave her a feeling of serenity, and she seemed to be at peace with herself for once, though she still questioned on whether to submit to this crazy man and listen to whatever he told her or not. Elena knew the right thing to do in her head, but her heart was telling her something completely different. Despite the fact that she and Anton had fought and argued on several occasions, Elena still agreed with him on one thing. _"You've harbored feeling for me ever since the day we met"_ , he said to her once. No matter how much she tried to deny it, Elena knew that she could not brush the thought from mind. She sighed through her nose and lied herself on her back and placed her right arm to her side and closed her eyes, hoping to sleep it off.

A few hours later, Elena awoke to find that the daylight had dimmed outside. She had been asleep about four hours. She sat up in bed and looked over at her nightstand. A bowl of soup had been brought in to her. Elena wondered exactly how long this charade was going to go on for. She ate very little and set the bowl and spoon down on the nightstand and reached over for her Bible and placed it on her lap and opened it and flipped through the pages until she found the Book of Revelation, reading about a man named Death who was followed by Hell as he rode himself upon a pale horse.

It was 9:36 p.m. when Elena braved herself to exist out of her room again. She walked down the hall and into the living room. It was dark and there were no lights on. The front door was slightly open. Elena slowly approached it and placed her hand on the doorknob and opened the door all the way. She looked outside and saw Anton was sitting on the bench on the front porch, his hands resting on his knees. He was wearing his denim jacket again, but he wasn't wearing his boots. A pair of white socks were on his feet.

Elena stared at him a minute. She stepped outside and felt a chill when her bare feet touched the wooden surface. She closed the door behind her and held her arms across her chest, studying him.

"How long are we going to continue not talking to each other?" Elena asked him. "A month? A year?...Forever?"

"I'm not choosing not to talk to you, Elena", said Anton. His deep voice was quiet and somewhat hoarse. He sounded sad, even if he didn't show it. "I just know you don't want to look at me."

Elena slowly shook her head and told him, "I don't even know who you are anymore."

"I'm not the man you think I am. Not anymore. I give you my word, Elena."

"Your word doesn't mean anything to me."

"No", said Anton. "But it does to me."

"But why?" Elena questioned him. "Why do you kill people, Anton?" It hurt her to say those words to him.

Anton shook his head and told her, "You wouldn't understand."

"No, you're right", said Elena. "I _don't_ understand. So tell me."

"It was only a job, Elena", said Anton. "I found no comfort in killing those people, but you see, I had no choice."

"You _did_ have a choice", Elena told him, her voice sounded as though she were about to cry. "This is not something you had to choose for yourself. This is not something I'd ever want anyone to choose for anything."

Anton sat there motionless and glared at her for a minute and whispered softly, "I think you should go back inside, Elena."

Elena looked at him with watery eyes. She couldn't believe how a man like him could be so heartless and yet so discouraging at the same time.

Anton acknowledged her about what she was thinking, but said nothing. He knew that Elena was wondering what exactly it was that brought him to this, to meeting her. He knew she wondered about the cause of where he came up with these blood-shedding ideals, but did not feel the need to explain himself to her on what he had went through.

Knowing that she wasn't going to get anywhere with this man, Elena turned around and placed her hand on the doorknob.

"You want to know why I'm all fucked up?" Anton asked her. His deep voice sounding eerily calm. "I'll tell you why."

Elena turned around slowly and looked at him, a tear falling from each of her water-filled, turquoise eyes.

"My parents were killed when I was five years old", Anton said to her. "My father woke me up in the middle of the night and hid me inside my bedroom closet. He told me to stay hidden until it was safe. At the time, I didn't understand what was happening. I don't think any child would in that situation. But then I heard a boy screaming and the firing of the gunshots. I should have known something terrible had happened. That something was wrong. I thought the killer would come for me next, but instead, he left. After he had gone, I came out of my bedroom and found both my parents were dead. They had each taken a bullet to the head and to the chest. A while later, an ambulance came and took their bodies away. I never even got a chance to say goodbye. The police came for me and wrapped me in a shock blanket and took me away to the station. Once I got there, the sheriff comforted me and told me he was sorry. I don't remember his name, but his eyes told me everything I needed to know. After that, I was placed into a orphanage and stayed there until I turned sixteen."

Elena was silent for a minute. Finally, as more tears rolled down her cheeks, she whispered, "Anton, I'm so sorry."

"I do not need your sympathy", said Anton, cold-heartedly. He turned his head right and said to Elena, "If I ever find the man who did this to them, I will not resist in killing him. The killer showed them no mercy. I will not hesitate to do the same."

"Anton, killing someone won't bring your parents back", Elena told him. "I'm sorry they died, but did you ever think what they would say if they knew you killed people? Let's say you did find the person responsible for the death of your parents. What do you think they would say if they knew what you did?"

"That is not for you to worry about", said Anton. "I have already paid for one of my sins. The rest will be taken care of sooner or later. When my demons catch up to me, I will face them alone."

Elena shook her head and said, "Anton, please...You don't have to-"

"Don't say it", Anton warned her, his voice firm, but gentle.

"Say what?" Elena asked him.

"That I don't have to do this", Anton responded. "You know how many times I've heard people say that? You don't know how many people I've killed, Elena. And I don't want you to be next."

Elena shook her head again and said, "But that doesn't matter to you anymore, does it? Your arm's healed up and that's all you ever cared about, right?"

Anton stared at her for a minute and said, "You're still in love with me, aren't you?"

As fresh tears rolled down her eyes and blinded her vision, Elena looked at him with sadness and said nothing, her lips trembling.

The bench creaked as he rose up and swung a little bit, as Anton slowly approached Elena and looked at her, his expression apathetic.

Elena lowered her head and put her left hand to her face, lowering her right arm to her side. She shook violently and let a quiet sob escape from her lips.

Anton carefully placed his hands on her upper arms and said, "I already told you. I'm not the man you think I am. Not anymore. I gave that up a long time ago. Yes, I could go back to being a hitman, but what profit or benefit would there be in it for me?"

Elena sniffled in reply and answered him in a soft, broken voice, "...Nothing..."

Anton tilted his head slightly to the right and observed Elena in her vulnerable state of being for a moment and placed a hand under her chin and slowly forced her to look up at him. The whites of her eyes were slowly turning red. He put a hand to her face and wiped away the tears on her cheek with the pad of his thumb.

"Would you love me if I wasn't a killer?" Anton asked her.

Elena shook her head and said, "I don't know, Anton."

"I don't know is not an answer", Anton told her. "Would you love me if I was no longer a contract killer?"

Elena slowly nodded her head and answered, "I would, yes...But I still don't understand why you did it...I mean I do, but..." Her lips tightened for a minute, afraid of what the outcome of this conversation would bring them to. Elena found her voice again and asked him in a scared tone, "But what does this say about me?"

"Nothing", Anton assured her. "You're just an innocent bystander in all of this. If anyone asks, you don't know anything about me. Do you understand?"

Elena lowered her head again and hugged her arms around Anton as tight as she could while still favoring her broken wrist, burying her nose into his chest and trying to muffle her cries. Anton was confused and taken aback by this, but slowly wrapped his arms around Elena and ran his fingers through her long, brown hair, comforting her in the only way he knew how. Attempting to calm herself down, Elena took a slowly, but shaky breath and exhaled deeply and breathed in his scent: freshly-laundered denim, the bittersweet smell of coffee grounds, a burning sensation of nickel and silver from the coins in his pocket, and the familiar sweet and spicy aroma of hickory. He smelled like Anton, the strange and mysterious man she had picked up in Texas, though Elena began to wonder if he was from someplace else.

"I love you, Elena", said Anton.

Not expecting to hear those words come straight from his own lips, Elena ceased her crying and slowly looked up at him.

Anton released Elena and looked at her, though his expression remained stoic. Elena did not know if what he said to her was true or not, though she wanted more than anything to believe him. Anton was finally starting to come around and open himself up to her, though Elena knew that she shouldn't try to push her luck with him.

"Let's get you back inside", said Anton. "You'll catch your death out here."

Elena said nothing, but nodded her head in agreement. She stepped aside and allowed for him to open the door. Anton looked at Elena and motioned his head for her to go in first. Once she stepped through the door and into the house, Anton stepped in right after her and closed the door behind him.

Suddenly, Elena let out a sharp gasp of pain and felt her knees buckle beneath her. She would have fallen had she not felt a strong arm catch her around her waist. "It's okay. You're all right", she heard a voice speak to her. She knew whose voice it was, but was starting to slip into unconsciousness. She closed her eyes and heard his voice speak to her again, "...You're all right, Elena...I've got you."


	20. Healing Old Wounds

In the morning that followed, Elena woke up and found herself laying down in a warm bed. Slowly, she opened her eyes and realized she was back in her room. A pale grey light was coming in from her window. Elena blinked a few times and slowly turned her head right. Anton was sitting in a chair, looking at her.

"What's wrong?" Elena asked him.

"Nothing's wrong", Anton answered her.

"What are you doing?"

"Watching you sleep."

Elena paused for a minute. She looked to her left and then looked back at Anton. "Have you been watching over me all night?"

"Yes, I have."

"Why?" Elena asked him.

"I was worried about you", Anton answered her. "After our conversation last night, you passed out from emotional distress. I was able to revive you for a minute, but then you fainted again. As I was putting you to bed, you started talking in your sleep."

"What did I say?"

"You said my name and then you asked me not to leave you."

Elena was silent for a minute. Even after everything that happened between them, he still cared about her. By his own decision, Anton was scared enough for her that he decided to stay by her side all hours of the night. This told her something about him.

Anton stood up and walked over to Elena and sat down on the bed and carefully took hold of her broken wrist, slowly turning it over and checking for any signs of improvement.

"Does it hurt?" Anton asked her.

"I don't feel much", Elena answered.

Anton placed a hand over the left side of her ribcage and told her, "Breathe for me."

Elena took a slow breath and exhaled deeply.

Anton looked at her and said, "I think you're gonna be all right."

"Does this mean were squared or engaged?" Elena asked him, jokingly.

Ignoring her attempt at humor, Anton tucked a loose strand of hair behind her left ear and said, "I want you to stay in bed and rest today."

"Do I have to?" Elena asked him, a hint of disappointment in her voice.

"Yes. I'd like you to", said Anton.

"Okay", Elena whispered.

"I'll be back in five minutes", said Anton. He stood up and walked out of the bedroom.

Elena sat up in bed and waited for him to return. As predicted, Anton returned no more than five minutes later. He came into her bedroom with a tray of food and placed it over her lap.

"What's all this?" Elena asked him, curious all of a sudden.

Anton sat down on the bed and told her, "I figured you'd be hungry."

Elena gave him a faint smile at his response.

Before she could pick up the fork, Anton snatched it away from her and insisted on feeding her himself.

"Look", said Elena, "if this is your way of apologizing to me-"

Anton looked at her and said, "This isn't an apology. You need to keep up your strength, Elena."

Elena did not argue with him any further and allowed Anton to feed her a few bites of scrambled eggs and some spam. A minute of silence passed between them.

"Has anybody called?" Elena asked him.

"No", Anton answered her, setting the fork down. "Why do you ask?"

Elena shook her head and said, "No reason." She lowered her eyes and helped herself to a drink of milk.

Anton stared at her a minute with unconvinced eyes. "You're lying to me."

Elena brought her gaze back to meet with his. The turquoise of her eyes seemed less brighter and had a scared look in them.

"What are you hiding now?" Anton demanded, his low voice deep and authoritative.

Elena set the cup down on the tray and asked him, "Did you make any calls to the house while you were gone?"

Anton knew what she was referring to and admitted, "I thought about calling you, but I knew you were still upset. I thought about leaving Brainerd forever and never coming back, but then I couldn't stand the thought of being away from you."

Elena looked down and placed her left hand over his right. She looked at Anton again and asked him, "Can I ask you something about your criminal past?"

 _I'd rather you didn't_ , Anton thought to himself. Instead, he said to her, "If I told you anything more than what you already know, you wouldn't think of me or look at me the same way ever again."

"Please?" Elena begged him, softly. "Just for my sake?"

Anton slowly turned his head left and looked away from her, not wanting her to see the self-loathing in his eyes. "What is it you want to know?"

"Did you ever kill any women?" Elena asked him. Her voice sounded shy and quiet.

"The last person I shot was a woman", Anton answered. "Her husband had the chance to save her, but he decided to use her to save himself. It was his greed that led them to their deaths."

Elena lowered her eyes again and tightened her lips upon hearing the last sentence. She detected the sadness in his voice and wondered how he must have really felt when he encountered his last victim. An innocent woman who had done no harm to no one, and yet still had been thrown into the path of an early death. For a hitman like Anton to keep his word about killing her was bad enough, but for the woman's own husband to put her in harm's way was too much even for Elena to comprehend, let alone understand.

"What about children?" Elena asked him, afraid of his answer.

Anton was silent for a minute. He looked back at Elena and stood up slowly, glaring down at her with threatening eyes. He was offended by her question.

"You think I would ever do anything to hurt Sophia?" Anton asked her, sounding dangerously calm. "Is that why you're asking me? Children are innocent until they reach a certain age, Elena. I have seen children die in front of me, but they did not die by my hands. You know how many I watched die during the war?"

"No", said Elena, shaking her head slightly and looking terrified.

"317", Anton answered. "It's one thing when a child looses a parent, or even both, but to tell a mother I could not save her son or daughter is another. Do not think I enjoyed it, Elena. If anything, it hurt."

With that, Anton picked up the tray and turned to left.

"Anton, I didn't know", said Elena. He stopped in the doorway and listened. "I'm sorry you had to witness that."

Anton turned his head left and looked at her, not saying a word. He looked away from her again and existed out of her bedroom.

Elena tilted her head back against the wall and stared up at the ceiling. She let out an exasperated sigh and said to herself, "Way to go, Olmsted. You just pissed him off."

After an hour or two of reading her Bible, Elena walked out of her bedroom and down the hall and out into the living room. Anton was sitting on the couch with his arms folded. His feet were on the coffee table. Elena looked to her right and saw the television was on. John Wayne was having a conversation with Kim Dirby.

Elena looked at Anton and asked him, "What are you watching? John Wayne?"

" _True Grit_ ", Anton answered her, not taking his eyes off the screen.

Elena walked over to Anton and tapped his knee. He placed his feet on the floor. Elena sat down on the left side of the couch and scooted over closer to Anton.

"You're not going to question me again, are you?" Anton asked her, sounding uninterested.

Elena leaned her head onto his shoulder and said, "Not today."

Anton turned his head left and looked at her for a minute. Elena did not notice it. He focused his attention back to the television. They sat there in silence.

Just as Glen Campbell was about to save John Wayne from being shot and killed by Robert Duvall, the phone on the sidetable drawer rang loudly.

Elena jumped in her seat and gasped in surprise. She looked at the phone and then looked at Anton and asked him, "Can you turn that down, please?"

Anton picked up the remote and muted the volume, while Elena reached over with her left hand and answered the phone.

"Hello?...Yes, Dr. Benedict...Uh-huh...Uh-huh...Yes...Yes..." Elena paused for a minute and looked at Anton. She looked away from him and continued talking with Dr. Benedict on the other line. "No, no, I'd loved to pick her up. It's just that I'm...Oh, you heard, huh?...Uh-huh...Well, what if Marge picks her up tomorrow?...Uh-huh...Okay. First thing in the morning?...All right. Thanks a lot, Marty...Yeah, you too. Bye."

Elena hung up the phone and slouched back. She ran her hand through her hair and tilted her head back, breathing a sigh of relief.

"What was that all about?" Anton asked her.

Elena turned her head right and said, "Did I forget to tell you Sophia was coming home? Dr. Benedict said he went over her charts and said she was strong enough to come back home by the first of August."

"You mean tomorrow."

"Yes." Elena looked away from him and stared at the ceiling again. "Marge is gonna pick her up first thing in the morning and bring her here. I'd do it myself, but my car is at the impound."

Anton stared at her for a minute, studying her. "I don't think what happened to you was an accident. The driver in the Ford Custom drove into your vehicle on purpose."

Elena shook her head and said, "I should have known it was going to happen. Sophia tried to warn me, but I didn't listen to her."

"What are you talking about?" Anton questioned her.

Elena looked at Anton and sat up straight. "When I told Sophia I was going to leave early and call the cops on you, she said that if I left the hospital, I was going to have an accident. I was angry at you and I got mad at her in return." Elena paused for a minute, tears starting to fill her eyes. "She tried to warn me, but I didn't listen to her."

Anton remained silent and said nothing.

Elena lowered her head and felt hot tears starting to spill from her eyes and covered her trembling lips with her left hand, trying to muffle a sob.

"Elena-"

"Look, I know you don't like seeing me cry, but-"

"No", said Anton, placing his left arm around her. "Come here."

Elena scooted closer to him and leaned herself against his chest, sniffling and crying softly. Anton held her in his arms and placed a hand on the back of her head, running his long fingers through her hair.

"The important thing is that you're still alive", Anton said to her.

"But I should have listened to her, Anton", Elena whispered through her tears.

"It doesn't make any difference now", said Anton. "Nothing you do can erase the line which has been drawn. It's already been done. I don't want to say you brought this onto yourself, because you did, but I'm glad you survived it."

Elena licked the saltwater from her lips and took a deep breath. "Now you're just being mean", she said.

Anton looked at her and placed a hand under her chin. He slowly lifted her head up and brought her water-filled turquoise eyes to meet with the dark brown of his.

" _Perdoname, mi amor_ ", said Anton. " _No quise causarte tanta tristeza en tu corazón._ "

Elena shook her head and told him, "I have no idea what you just said."

Anton gave her a hint of a smile and took her hand into his and helped her to stand up. "Come on."

Anton led Elena down the hallway and brought her into the bathroom. He turned on the tap and tested the temperature of the water and let the tub fill up. He then turned to Elena.

Just as he was about to assist her with removing her nightgown, Elena gently grabbed at his wrist and asked him, "Could you turn around, please?"

Anton stared at her for a minute, thinking. He did as she commanded and turned around to face the wall while she undressed herself. He understood her reasons in asking for some privacy, but thought it foolish of Elena not to trust him with helping her.

Soon as he heard her submerge herself, Anton turned around and saw Elena was now sitting in the tub, holding her knees up to her chest in the hopes of hiding her breasts from him. She avoided his gaze.

Anton turned off the tap and took off his denim jacket and hung it up on the back of the door. He pulled up his long sleeves and picked up a plastic bowl from off the counter and sat down on the edge of the tub next to Elena. He dipped the bowl into the water and filled it to the brim. Just as she had done with him before, Anton placed a hand over Elena's eyes and poured water over her hair. He repeated the same action twice, careful not to get her cast wet. He set the bowl aside and washed her hair with shampoo and conditioner, gently massaging her scalp with accurate finger strength. The touch and movement of his fingers was almost enough to put Elena to sleep. Anton rinsed her hair twice and used a washcloth to caress her back with a sweet-smelling soap.

He laved the washcloth with more soap and was about to reach down between her legs, but Elena grabbed at his wrist again and shouted, "No!"

Anton looked at her and said, "You need to let me do this."

Elena took the washcloth from him and said, "I can do this part myself."

Anton said nothing, but stood up and rolled his sleeves down, sighing to himself. He turned around and picked up his jacket and went out and closed the door behind him. Elena wasn't sure if she had offended him or not, but she wasn't about to let Anton handle her in that way, no matter how much she needed his help.

After she was done with her bath, Elena stood up slowly and stepped out of the tub and grabbed a towel from off the rack, wrapping it loosely around her body. She picked up a hairbrush from off the counter and went out and walked into her room and sat down on the bed. She sighed to herself and proceeded to brush her hair with her left hand. She did not care for it.

"Do you need help with that?"

Elena turned her head right and saw Anton was leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed. She looked away from him and set the brush down and said in a hushed voice, "Yes, please."

Anton walked over to Elena and sat down on the bed and picked up the brush and held Elena's hair in one hand and proceeded to brush her hair, using slow and gentle strokes. Neither one of them spoke for three minutes.

"You know I would never do anything to hurt you, don't you?" Anton spoke to her.

"I'm aware of that", Elena whispered, softly.

"I know you are", said Anton. "But if we can't trust each other, then there is no point in us trying to be together."

Elena did not know how to respond to that. Once again, the truth of his words stabbed through her heart like the sting of a sword. She kept herself silent, afraid of offending him again.

Once he was done, Anton stood up and went over to the tall dresser and set the hairbrush on top of it and opened the top drawer. He closed the drawer again and walked back over to Elena with a loose T-shirt and sweat pants and sat down on the bed and started helping her into her clothes. Elena did not protest, but she did feel it ironic that _he_ was now the one taking care of _her_.

After he finishing dressing her, Anton stood up and helped Elena into bed, pulling the sheets over her to keep her warm. Anton looked at her and stroked the top of her head and said, "You need to rest, Elena. You'll feel better after you've slept."

"Okay", Elena whispered.

"I won't be far if you need me."

With that said, Anton turned around and walked out and closed the door behind him.

Elena lied there for a minute, thinking. Evil and dangerous as he was, or used to be, the once-deadly assassin known as Anton Chigurh had now become the nurse's own personal health care provider. Everything about him articulated something calm and methodical about the way he moved and performed certain tasks, but still left in the mysteriousness of his character. Whatever humanity he had left inside him, he allowed himself to show it to her and her alone. Although she had been angered upon discovering who and what he was, Elena no longer feared him, nor was she afraid of him.

When she woke up an hour later, Elena sat up slowly and looked at the alarm clock on the nightstand. It was fifteen minutes past twelve. She stayed in bed for most of the day, never leaving her room except to use the bathroom. She sat up in bed with a pillow propped behind her back and picked up her Bible and read to herself. Every half hour, she looked at the clock to see what time it was.

At 4:21, Elena walked out of her room and went into the living room and looked into the kitchen. Anton was standing over by the stove, preparing a small meal of fish and rice for their dinner. Elena walked over to him and hugged her left arm around his middle.

"You're awake", said Anton, not looking at her.

"Yes, I am", said Elena.

Anton looked at her and said, "Why don't you take a seat? I'll be with you a minute."

Elena released him and walked over to the table and sat down in a chair.

Anton loaded two plates with food and walked over and set them down on the table and sat down in a chair opposite from Elena. He reached into his pocket and handed her a white caplet next to her plate. Pain reliever.

Halfway through the meal, Elena looked at Anton and said, "Can I ask you something?"

Anton looked at her and asked, "About what?"

"It's nothing personal", said Elena. "It's just that Sophia's coming home tomorrow and I know she's gonna want her room back. If it doesn't offend you, I was just wondering if we could...If you wouldn't mind, that maybe we could...you know..."

"You're suggesting we sleep in the same bed together?" Anton asked her.

Elena paused for a minute. "If you wouldn't mind", she answered him.

Anton looked at her for a minute and said nothing. Elena was afraid she might have crossed over another line with him, until Anton focused his attention back onto his plate and told her, "I will think about it."

After dinner, Elena and Anton went into the living room and watched the news. In the midst of watching a Charlton Heston movie, Anton looked at Elena and agreed to sleep in her bed with her.

At 7:30 p.m., they went into Elena's room. Anton sat down at the foot of the bed and took off his boots and socks, while Elena walked around to the right side of the bed and pulled back the covers and lied down. Anton stood up and took off his jacket and went to hang it up in the closet. He then walked back over to the bed and lied down next to her on the left side.

"Are you warm enough?" Anton asked her.

Elena looked at him and said, "Yes, thank you."

Anton looked away from her and focused his attention up toward the ceiling, lying there in silence.

Elena lied there staring at him for a minute. She did not know what he would think if she asked him if she could touch his face, but then something else came to mind.

"Anton?"

"What?"

"You said you'd never do anything to hurt me, right?"

"Yes, I did."

"Can I trust you to hold me in your arms?"

Anton said nothing, but turned his head and looked at her, wondering why she asked him that. He knew the answer just by staring into those beautiful eyes of hers he loved so much.

"You wish for me to hold you in my arms?" Anton asked her, his voice was soft.

Elena blushed in the dark, though he could not see it. "Yes, please", she whispered.

Anton sat up in bed and helped the young woman turn over onto her right side. Elena rested her right arm onto her pillow, favoring her broken wrist. Anton lied down next to her again and placed his left arm carefully around her waist, holding her close to him. Elena closed her eyes and sighed in content. It was the first time she had ever been held close to a man before. And even though she was lying in the arms of a once-dangerous criminal, it was the first time in days she felt safe and secure.

"Anton?"

"Yes?"

"Did you really mean it when you said we should learn to trust each other?"

Anton was silent for a minute. "I'm not asking you for anything. Only your trust."

Elena did not speak to him anymore that night. Within minutes, she had already fallen asleep.

Anton lied there in the darkness, listening to her quiet and delicate breathing. Like Elena, he, too, thought about the ironic nature and outcome of their current situation. Just like how she had been a rescuer to him, the ex-hitman felt himself a guardian and protector of the woman who saved his life.


	21. Bringing Sophia Home

Anton woke up the next morning and found himself lying in bed with his arm wrapped around a beautiful woman. He looked at Elena and heard her breathing softly. Her face was peaceful. He looked over at the nightstand and saw the time on the alarm clock was 8:22. He looked over his left shoulder and sat up slowly, throwing the covers off of him and placing his feet onto the floor. Anton stood up and turned around, looking back at Elena. She did not awaken.

Anton went into the bathroom and locked the door and took off his clothes before stepping into the shower, pulling the curtain back. He stood there for a minute with his eyes closed and his head bowed, allowing the hot water to rain down onto his body. The steam from the shower was already starting to cloud the mirror. Anton ran his fingers through his sopping hair and tilted his head back, exhaling deeply. He then proceeded to wash himself, cleansing his body, mind, and soul of whatever impure thoughts he was thinking about Elena. It was bad enough she had given him the evidence of a morning erection when he had awoken.

Wrapping a towel around his waist, Anton went back into the bedroom and saw Elena was still asleep. She was now lying on her back and her arms were by her sides. He kept his eyes on her as he walked over to the closet and opened the door. He had taken the liberty of moving his clothes into her bedroom while she was still in the hospital. He put on some fresh clothes and looked back at Elena again as he started buttoning up his shirt. She looked pale and was lying very still, but at least she was breathing.

Hearing a vehicle approaching, Anton looked towards the window and walked over to it. He looked out the window and saw a police car pull up to the house. The door opened and Marge Gunderson stepped out and opened the back door. A familiar seven-year-old girl with a plush shark got out of the prowler.

Anton walked out of the bedroom and down the hall and went out into the living room and opened the door before Marge could even knock. When she saw him, she gasped.

"Oh! Anton, you scared me."

"I assure you, it was unintentional."

Marge smiled and nodded her head. "So, I take it Elena told you about little Sophia here, huh?"

Anton looked down at the little girl, who held her hand out to him and said, "Hello, Anton."

Anton took hold of her hand and shook it. He crouched down and picked up Sophia into his arms, holding her.

"You heard about what happened to your mother, didn't you?" Anton asked her.

"Yes, I did", Sophia answered, her voice was quiet.

"How's Elena doin'?" Marge asked him.

"She's sleeping right now", Anton answered. He looked at Marge and said to her, "It would mean a lot to me if you stayed for a minute."

"Oh, yah. You betcha."

Anton moved aside and allowed Marge to step into the house. She shut the door behind her. Anton set Sophia down and told her, "Why don't you go to your room for a while? I need to talk to Marge alone."

"Yes, sir", said Sophia.

Soon as the child walked away, Anton looked at Marge and motioned with his head for her to follow him. She followed him into the kitchen.

"Can I interest you in a cup of coffee?" Anton asked her.

"Oh, no, thanks", Marge declined, politely.

"All right."

Anton sat down in a chair at the table, with Marge taking the seat opposite from him.

"So, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Regarding your cousin, I do not think what happen to her was an accident", said Anton.

"Oh, yah?"

"I saw the whole incident happen right before me. There were no other witnesses to the scene. This was a hit-and-run, Marge. I know one when I see it."

"Did you get a good look at the driver?"

"No, I couldn't. The windows were tinted."

"You said the car was a white 1957 Custom Ford. You didn't happen to get a good look at the license plate, did ya?"

"Yes, I did. 147 AFY. These were Florida plates."

Marge looked surprised to hear this. "Florida?"

"Yes", said Anton. "There's something else you should know. Elena told me she has been receiving phonecalls from an unidentified source."

Marge paused for a minute and stared at him, putting together the information he had just given her, but also thinking about something different. She placed her arms onto the table and intertwined her fingers together, leaning over slightly. "What exactly has been going on between you two lately?"

"I don't know what you mean", said Anton.

"Well, from what I heard, Elena told me you walked out on her. Said you two got into some kind of a fight", Marge informed him.

Anton stared back at Marge and said nothing. The hatred he once held for the police chief was slowly returning into the darkness of his eyes, though she could not see it.

"You didn't hurt her, did you?" Marge asked him, a hint of seriousness in her voice. "Because if you did-"

"No, I didn't", Anton answered. "She slapped me in the face, but that was it."

Marge nodded her head and asked him, "So, what was the argument about?"

"We had a disagreement on something", Anton answered.

"Would you mind telling me what that something was?"

"I didn't approve that she was hiding her fear of a dangerous man that tried to kill her."

Marge said nothing, but lowered her eyes and leaned back in her seat, resting her hands into her lap. She sighed to herself and looked at Anton again. "She told you about Andrew Pittman, didn't she?"

"I know you are naive, Marge Gunderson, but I also know that you are not stupid either", Anton informed her. "Elena has known about his escape for weeks, and yet she did not have the heart to tell you. Why is that?"

Marge gave him a look of suspicion and leaned forward again. "What do you mean she's known for weeks?"

"She wasn't just afraid of getting killed by him", said Anton. "She was also afraid of loosing you, as well. You, Norm, and Sophia are the only family she has."

"Well, Anton, it just doesn't make any sense now, does it?" Marge questioned him. "You see, when my officers and I captured Mr. Pittman, we had to transport him up to a maximum security prison in Oak Park Heights. When he became too difficult to control, they had him transported down to the Florida Department of Corrections. So, how does a man manage to escape one of the most highly-guarded facilities in the States?"

Anton shook his head and said, "I don't know. All I know is that I never meant for any of this to happen to Elena. It was unforeseen...And yet fate decided to be cruel to her."

With having said that, Anton stood up at once and went back into the living room, running his hands through his mop of dark brown hair and letting out a deep sigh. He placed his hands onto his hips and thought to himself, _Damn the Fates_ _for bringing this woman into my life_. Although he refused to show it, Anton now felt himself even more concerned for Elena's safety. Despite his promise that he would not kill anymore, Anton Chigurh saw it only fitting that whoever this Andrew Pittman was, he would gladly break his word to Elena and go steal a cattle gun from a slaughterhouse just to go after him. _No_ , Anton thought to himself. A cattle gun was too simple. This was a man who tried to kill Elena twice and almost succeeded. If he ever came across this monster of a man, Anton Chigurh would need something much more powerful and painful than a captive bolt pistol.

Luckily, Anton was snapped out of his dark thoughts when a hand rested itself upon his left shoulder. He turned around and saw Marge standing behind him.

"Are you all right?" Marge asked him.

Anton stood there for a minute, gazing into the warmth of her steel blue eyes. Without saying so much as a single word, he wrapped his arms around the woman and rested his chin on top of her head, embracing her into a much-needed hug. He was sure he would regret it later, but because of the internal conflict he felt on whether he was doing the right thing or the wrong thing, Anton gave himself no other choice but to surrender and pull Marge into the strength of his embrace, holding her.

Marge was surprised by this unexpected movement of his, but smiled nonetheless and hugged him back in return. "It's going to be okay, Anton", Marge reassured him. "Ya hear me? Elena's going to be all right. You just keep doing what you're doing and don't worry about anything, ya hear?"

He didn't respond.

Marge sighed and patted his back, before she broke herself free from Anton's embrace and said to him, "Well, I suppose I should be getting back to work."

"Yes", said Anton, nodding in agreement. He led Marge over to the front door and opened it for her. She stepped outside and turned to look at him.

"You'll call me if anything else comes up?" Marge asked him.

"I will", said Anton. "Say hello to your husband for me."

"I will", said Marge, nodding her head. "See ya, Anton." She turned around and walked back over to her car. Anton watched her get into the vehicle. He shut the front door and listened to her turn on the engine and leave.

Anton walked out of the living room and went back down the hall and stood in the doorway of Elena's bedroom. The young woman was sitting up in bed. Her arms were wrapped around Sophia, who was crying and begging her mother for forgiveness. Forgiveness for what, he did not know. Elena noticed Anton was standing in the doorway and looked over at him. He didn't move.

Sophia looked up at Elena, shedding a single tear. "I'm so sorry, Mommy."

Looking back at the child, Elena shook her head and said, "No, sweetie. I should have listened to you."

"But if I hadn't been mean to you, none of this would have happened", said Sophia.

Elena stroked the child's head and told her, "Sophia, it doesn't matter now. What's happened has already happened, you understand?"

Sophia said nothing, but nodded her head and took a shaky breath.

"The important thing is that were all together now", said Elena. "Nothing bad is ever going to happen to us again. Not to you, not to me...Not even to Anton. Because of you, he saved me. He's a good man, just like you said."

A subtle expression of shock reflected on the face of the man who was overlooking both mother and child. The fact that Elena acknowledged him as a good man, despite the sins of his murderous past, was enough for Anton to remind himself that there was still a bit of hope for his redemption.

"How can you be sure?" Sophia asked her, tearfully.

Elena was silent for a minute. "I'm not", she said at last.

Sophia lowered her face into her mother's chest and sobbed softly. Elena wrapped her arms around her daughter and held her again.

Anton walked slowly into the room and sat down on the bed, carefully wrapping his arms around Elena and the guilt-ridden child.


	22. The Mourning of an Angel

With the information Anton had provided for her, Marge Gunderson got right to work on informing state police about the criminal most likely to be Andrew Pittman, as well as the make and model of the Custom Ford. Three days later, the police station received a call from a man in Saint Paul, Minnesota, who found an abandoned car in the middle of the woods that matched the description. Marge and Lou drove out to the location and found that the vehicle was, indeed, a white 1957 Custom Ford. The front hood was open, showing that the engine had been removed and several wires had been cut. Dozens of obscenities were written all over it and the front window was cracked. The license plates were missing.

Soon as she got back to Brainerd, Marge called up her cousin and told her about the discovery. Anton went down to the police station with Elena to identify the vehicle.

"Yes, that's the one", Anton answered.

Lou looked at Elena and asked her, "Elena, is this the vehicle that hit ya?"

Elena, who could barely utter a word upon seeing the car that caused her crash, gave him a simple nod of the head and said nothing.

Meanwhile, Marge, looking over the busted vehicle, opened the passenger side of the Custom Ford and crouched down, looking under the seat. All she found was an empty packet of cigarettes. She looked in the back of the car and found an old size 11 shoe and an empty bottle of Jack Daniels nestled on the seat. She stood up again and placed her hands on her hips, thinking. "Okay", Marge said at last. "So, we got a hit-and-run involving Elena, Andrew takes off, drives about a hundred and thirty-six miles south of Brainerd, parks his vehicle out in the middle of the woods, removes the plates, and disappears without a trace again."

"So it seems", said Anton. He walked over and stood next to Marge for a minute, looking at the Custom Ford. "What is it you can tell me about him?"

"Nothing much", said Marge. "To tell ya the truth, nobody really knew anything about him."

"Yah", said Lou. "One day, he just come into town asking for help. So, we ask him what kind of help he's lookin' for. Told us he had some sort of a hearing problem."

"How would you describe him?" Anton asked the deputy, not looking at him.

"Oh, about five foot nine, six foot one", Lou answered. "Blond, dark eyes, bit of a recluse."

"Oh, yah", Marge inquired. "He was a big fella, all right. Very quiet, very keep-to-himself kind of guy. Heck, he almost never came into town unless he needed food or medication for his condition or something."

"When exactly did he start harassing Elena?" Anton asked the chief, looking at her.

"About two months after taking up residence here, I think", Marge answered him.

Anton turned his head right and looked over at Elena and saw her in a catatonic state of mind, looking lost and in a daze. Her turquoise eyes were misty.

"Elena?" Anton asked her. He walked over to her and cupped his right hand to her cheek. "Elena, look at me."

Slowly, Elena turned her head and looked at him.

"Look at my face", Anton whispered to her. "You're all right. I'm not going to let him hurt you again. Do you understand?"

Elena nodded her head and whispered, "Okay."

Anton turned his head left and looked over at Lou. "I think it would be wise if Miss Olmsted waited outside for a minute", he said.

Lou walked over to them and placed his arm around Elena. Just when he was about to walk her over to the door, Marge spoke up.

"By the way, El", said Marge. "Those phonecalls you've been receiving? Turns out they came from a cellular phone."

Elena turned around and looked at Marge. "A cellular phone?"

"Oh, yah", said Marge. "Only strange thing about it is that the phone the calls came from belonged to Gordon Burrows."

For a moment, nobody spoke. Not even a breath could be heard.

Elena gently shoved Lou away from her and went over to stand face to face with Marge. "Gordon Burrows?" Elena questioned her own cousin. "The father of Sophia Burrows, the little girl I promised to take care of after his wife died? _That_ Gordon Burrows?!"

Marge paused for a minute. Finally, she nodded her head and answered, "Yah, that's the one."

"That's not possible", said Anton. "Gordon Burrows is dead. I watched him die in front of my eyes, the same as Elena did."

"Well, that's what I'm tryin' to tell to ya, Anton", said Marge. "The phone the calls came from belonged to that of a dead man."

"Yes, you already said that", Anton reminded her. "Is there any other information you would like to tell me that's just about as useless as you are?"

"Anton, please!" Elena begged him.

The man who was once a contract killer turned around, rolling his eyes in annoyance at the oblivious stupidity of the police work being done. It was sad, he thought, that not even the great policewoman Marge Gunderson had any knowledge about what she was doing. Anton Chigurh turned his attention to a map hanging up on the wall to distract himself.

Elena looked back at Marge and said, "Look, I know Gordon was a jerk when he was still alive, but I can't think of anybody who would want to see him dead."

"Did Andrew Pittman know Gordon Burrows?" Marge asked, ignoring the insult Anton just threw at her.

"Not that I know of", Elena answered.

Anton turned around suddenly and looked at Elena, asking her, "Does he know about Sophia?"

Elena looked over at him and shook her head. "No", she answered. "I never told him about Sophia."

"Then she is safe." Anton looked over at Lou and asked him, "Where would you say this Andrew Pittman was from?"

Lou shrugged his shoulders, looking uncertain. "Ah, jeez, I don't know. Somewhere out south, I guess. Why?"

Anton looked back at the Custom Ford and tried to figure out what sort of sadist he was dealing with, or would be dealing with in the future. "Nothing."

Elena turned around and walked back over to Lou, asking him, "Is Gordon's body still at the funeral home?"

"Oh, yah", Lou answered her. "He's still there, I reckon. Along with those other two that passed away in the church blaze."

Two days later, a funeral was held for the three victims that died in the Catholic church fire. Amongst the sobbing women and the men who shed an occasional tear, Sophia was quiet during the entire service. Anton stood beside Elena and looked over his shoulder during the service for any signs of a suspicious character. There was no danger. After the priest gave his eulogy, the child went to place a single red rose onto her father's grave. She kissed the tips of her little fingers and touched her hand onto the polished marble headstone with her father's name on it.

Later that night, after she finished putting Sophia to bed, Elena went into the living room and called up Marge and asked her for a ride to the hospital tomorrow. Marge agreed and informed her that Norm would give her a ride to the impound to pick up her car after she got off work. When asked what she was going to do about Sophia, Elena turned her head and looked over at Anton. Because he had nothing else better to do, Anton agreed to watch over the child. He answered her before she could even ask him.

The next morning, Marge came by the house to pick up Elena and take her to work. Soon as she left, it started raining.

Sophia sat in the living room in the chair by the window, listening to the calm and soothing pattern of rain hitting against the roof. She stared out into the vast, empty space of the woods before her, occasionally drawing pictures into the foggy glass with her finger. Once in a while she would glance over at Anton, who was sitting on the couch reading a book. He never so much as looked at her. It had been two hours of nothing but this, as man and child made no attempt at conversation.

Sophia slouched back in the chair and sighed to herself. She looked at Anton and stood up and walked over to him. He continued to read his book, ignoring her. The child tilted her head down to the left, looking as though she were studying him. She scratched her ear, wondering about him. Though she had seen and told him everything about his life, Sophia still had some questions of her own. She wondered if he ever had any friends before meeting Elena, she wondered about the killings he had done, she wondered why he always kept the same ridiculous haircut. Sophia dropped down to her knees and continued to stare at him, reading his mind.

Knowing she was never going to give up on whatever she was doing, Anton turned his head and looked at her, slightly annoyed. "Is there something you want?"

Sophia straightened her head and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know", she said.

Anton set the book he was reading down in his lap and questioned her, "You don't know?"

"I wanted to ask you something, but I know you don't like me asking you questions about anything."

"What is it you wanted to ask me?"

"It doesn't matter. I'm going to go to my room now. Don't follow me."

Sophia stood up and turned around and walked away. He watched her go. She went down the hall and disappeared from sight. With that, Anton returned his attention back to the book he was reading. Despite him being seemingly uninterested, his mind was more focused on the child.

After finishing the chapter he was reading, Anton closed the book and placed it on the coffee table and rose up and went down the hall to Sophia's room. He opened the door and found the room was empty. He entered and walked over and got down on his knees and looked under the bed. She was not there. Anton stood up and turned and looked over towards the closet. He walked over and looked at the handle, turning it slowly. He opened the door and looked down. The child was sitting on the floor, her head bowed down as she stroked the soft dorsal fin of her favorite plush shark companion.

"Are you all right?" Anton asked her.

Sophia looked up at him with sad brown eyes. "Do I look like I'm all right?"

He did not answer her.

Sophia stood up and walked out of the closet and went over and sat down on her bed. She held Quincy closer to her, holding him tightly as she slowly rocked herself back and forth.

Anton stood there for a minute, looking at her. He left the closet door open and went over to her. Sophia sniffled and gave a short gasp, crying softly. Her cheeks blushed a bright pink as tears rolled down her face.

Weeks before he died, Sophia foretold her birth father about his death. Although he was frightened to hear about this from his own child, Gordon Burrows swallowed his fear and asked but one request from his daughter: " _Please don't cry at my funeral_ ", he said. Now that he was truly gone forever, Sophia felt like breaking down, which she did.

Anton sat down next to Sophia and hugged his arms around her, comforting her. Sophia leaned herself against him and clutched onto his shirt, still crying.

"I miss him, Anton", Sophia told him, tearfully.

"I know you do", Anton whispered. Sophia sniffled again, to which he started to rub her back. "It's all right", he told her. "It's okay. Everything's going to be okay."

Sophia continued to sob quietly for a minute, but eventually, her crying ceased. Once she was calmed down, Sophia took a deep breath and asked the man that was holding her, "Did you cry when your Mommy and Daddy died?"

Not since the last time she had brought them up when they first met did Anton think about his parents. He thought about what she just asked him. "I would be lying if I said I didn't", Anton answered her. "But I was told to get over it just as soon as they died. I spent what little time my childhood had thinking they would be around forever. Sadly, that is not the way the world works. I won't tell you the same thing I was told. I know you're upset. You have every right to be. You never realize how much a person really means to you until they have been taken away from you."

Anton released Sophia and looked at her. The child looked up at him. "Did he ever say anything to you?"

"Your father asked me to take care of you before he died. He also told me to tell you he was sorry. He failed to give me a reason as to why he should beg for your forgiveness."

Sophia turned her head and looked over at her nightstand. She set Quincy down on the bed and reached over and opened the top drawer. She pulled out a photograph and handed it to Anton.

"That was me and him before", Sophia told him, wiping the tears from her face.

Anton looked at the picture that showed a smiling and healthier-looking Gordon Burrows sitting next to a young woman in a hospital bed. The woman, his wife Natalia, had sparkling eyes and light brown hair. In her arms, she was holding a newborn baby wrapped in a pink blanket.

"Your father loved your mother more than he loved you?" Anton asked the child.

"No", said Sophia. "He loved us both, but when my Mommy died, he stopped caring about everything, including me."

Anton gave the photograph back to Sophia, who placed it back into the drawer and closed it. Sophia placed her hands into her lap and sighed to herself. She looked at Anton and asked him, "Do you like me as a daughter or a friend?"

"I love you as if you were my own flesh and blood", Anton answered.

Sophia lowered her eyes and scooted closer to him. He wrapped his arms around her again, hugging her.

"I lost both my parents when I was two years younger than you", he said. "I'm sorry you had to suffer the same loss at such a young age."

"I know", said Sophia, solemnly. "Anton?"

"Yes?"

"Do you like being here with me and Elena?"

"You know that I do."

"And you'd never let anything bad happen to either me or her, would you?"

Anton turned his head and looked towards the window. It was still raining. "I'd rather die that loose either one of you", he said.

"That's good", said Sophia. "Anton?"

"What?"

"Do you mind if I call you Daddy?"

Anton paused for a minute. Then, he answered very softly, "I don't see any harm in that."

Later that night, around five minutes to seven, Sophia told Anton to go stand outside on the front porch.

"Why?" He asked her.

Sophia smiled and told him, "You'll find out."

He went outside and waited for about three minutes. Before long, a 1979 station wagon pulled up to the house. The driver turned off the headlights and stepped out of the car. It was Elena.

Anton walked over and approached the vehicle with a look of disapproval. "What is the meaning of this?" He questioned her.

"It's a car", said Elena, closing the door.

"Elena, you already have a car", said Anton.

"No, I _had_ a car, but I decided to trade it in for the station wagon", Elena told him.

Anton looked at the station wagon with a blank stare, judging on whether it was a good idea or not, let alone a good investment. Finally, he looked at Elena and said, "The dealer cheated you?"

"The dealer gave me a hundred and fifty dollars for the damaged Beetle. Now, you can stand here and say that's too cheap and that I got cheated, but if you do, I'll have no other choice but to put you into an early grave. Do you understand me?" Elena spoke calmly to him, raising her eyebrows after making her sassy statement.

"So, why did you do it?"

"If someone you knew tried to kill you in your car, would you ever want to drive it again?"

Anton stared at her for a minute, gazing into those beautiful eyes he loved so much. He always found himself at peace whenever he looked into them. "I suppose not."

"Exactly."

Anton looked down at her right arm and took hold of her hand, looking over her wrist, which was still in a cast. "How does it feel?" He asked her.

"It doesn't hurt as much as it used to", Elena answered.

Anton looked at her and said, "You're lucky to be alive, you know that?"

Elena chuckled lightly and said, "I have you to thank for that, I guess."

Anton took Elena into his arms and kissed her passionately. Elena arched her back, moaning sensuously as he leaned her against the side of the car.

Looking out from the living room window, Sophia had only this to say, "Yuck! Why don't they just get a room?" And then she closed the curtain.


	23. Heads or Tails

Marge Gunderson lied awake in bed at two in the morning. Her husband was asleep next to her, snoring. The chief of police stared up at the ceiling, thinking. She heard a car drive by. She could not sleep. Marge looked at Norm and sat up and threw her legs over to the side of the bed and placed her feet on the floor and put on her slippers. She stood up and walked out of the bedroom and went down the hall and into the kitchen. She opened the cupboard and took down a glass and filled it with water from the sink. She drank half the cup and set it down on the counter. She stood there for a minute with her eyes lowered, looking as though she were saddened by some recent news given to her.

Marge turned around and walked over and sat down at the table. She picked up a large yellow envelope and looked at the Texas address on the front of it. E. T. Bell was the name of the person who sent it to her. Marge turned over the envelope and unfolded the metal clasp and opened the flap, pulling out several files of paper and setting them down on the table. She turned the envelope upside down. An old newspaper clipping from 1954 slipped out. Marge picked it up and unfolded the article. It read about a Spanish couple who were murdered by an unknown suspect. The killer was never found. The couple was survived by their son and only child, whose birth name was Antonio J. Chigurh.

Marge set the newspaper clipping aside and picked up a copy of the vital records on Salvador and Raquel Chigurh. Birth certificates. A marriage license. Everything she needed to know about them. The envelope had arrived about a week ago and she had already gone over the documents twice. Marge looked through the papers until she discovered a black and white photograph of the Chigurh couple. A boy was with them. He couldn't have been no more than four or five years old. Marge looked at the husband and father of the family. He looked just like his son all grown up, but with a much more normal hairstyle. Marge set the photograph and papers down again and placed her elbows on the table. She folded her hands together in a prayerlike fashion and held them to her lips. Her eyes were turning misty. She sat there for a minute in silence, debating herself. She had been asked to look into the couple as a favor for a friend. Now that she had discovered what she was suppose to, she wished she hadn't.

On the first of September, Sophia had to go back to school. She woke up bright and early and got dressed and went into the kitchen. Elena was standing over by the stove, making breakfast. Sophia settled on having cereal and milk and helped herself to filling her bowl. Anton came into the kitchen, buttoning up his shirt. He walked over to Elena, who looked at him.

"Good morning", said Anton, giving her a kiss.

"Morning", said Elena, smiling.

Anton turned around and walked over to Sophia, ruffling her hair. He sat down at the table. The child fixed her hair and continued eating.

"Are you ready for your first day?" Anton asked her, taking a sip of coffee.

"Yep", Sophia answered. She looked at Anton and asked him, "You're coming to see me off, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am", Anton answered her.

Elena came over with two plates of eggs and sausage and set them down on the table and took a seat next to Anton. Just as they started eating, the phone rang.

"I'll get it", said Elena.

Anton placed a hand on her shoulder and said, "I'll answer it." He stood up and went out to the living room. He picked up the phone and put it to his ear and answered.

"Hello?...Yes...Yes...All right...Yes, Norm, I'll be there."

Anton hung up the phone and went back into the kitchen.

Sophia finished her breakfast and went to put the bowl and spoon in the sink. She turned around and walked out of the kitchen just as Anton came back in. He sat down at the table again.

Elena looked at him and asked, "Who was it?"

Anton picked up his coffee mug and looked at her. "I'll explain it to you later", he said.

Elena drove up and parked the car in front of the school. She opened the door and got out. Anton got out on the passenger side and opened the door to the back seat. Sophia got out of the car and put on her backpack, looking nervous. Elena walked around the car and kneeled down and looked at Sophia and wished her luck on her first day. She kissed her daughter on the forehead. Sophia turned to leave, but then stopped and looked back at Anton. She wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him. Anton looked down at her and stroked the top of her head. Sophia released him and turned around and walked up to the building and went inside with the other children.

When they got to the hospital, Elena turned off the engine and leaned back in her seat. She looked at Anton and asked him, "So, what did he say?"

Anton looked at her and then looked away. "He said I needed to come see him."

"About what?"

"He failed to give me an answer to that."

Elena gave him a serious look. "Anton?"

Anton looked at Elena and said, "Marge has some questions she wants to ask me."

Elena stared at him, not saying anything. She felt her heart skip a beat, fearing that something was wrong. "What are you going to do?" She asked him.

"Nothing", said Anton. "I'm going to go over and talk to them. Simple as that."

Elena shook her head and said, "I don't know if that's a good idea, Anton."

"Why?"

Elena did not answer him. She looked away from him, unable to explain.

Anton stared at her for a minute. He watched her sadden expression and reached a hand over and tucked her hair behind her ear. He stroked her face with the back of his hand. He cupped his hand to her left cheek and brought her eyes back to meet with his.

"You really think I would kill her?"

"No."

"I know how much she means to you, Elena. Remember what I said to you about trust? This is one of those examples."

"But what if she knows about what you've done?"

Anton said nothing and looked down. He placed his hand over her broken wrist, still in a cast. "We'll just have to see what happens", he said. He looked at her again.

Elena gave him something of a sad smile. She opened the door and stepped out of the car and leaned against the side with her arms crossed. She looked up toward the sky and took a deep breath and exhaled, almost as if she were thinking. Anton got out and walked around the vehicle and stood next to her. Elena turned to face him.

"If I lend you my car, can I expect you to pick me up after work?" Elena asked him.

"I have nothing else better to do this afternoon", Anton answered.

"Okay, but you know that means you'll have to pick up Sophia at three, right?"

"That's all right."

"Okay."

Elena hugged her arms around him, while Anton hugged her back in return. He kissed the top of her head and stroked her upper arm. He released her. Elena looked at Anton and stroked the side of his face with the soft touch of her hand. She turned around and walked across the parking lot and went into the building. He watched her go, standing there for a minute. Finally, he got into the driver's seat and started the car and drove out of the parking lot.

A police car pulled up next to the side of the Gunderson residence. The door opened and Marge Gunderson stepped out of the vehicle. She closed the door and went up to the house and fished the keys from her pocket and unlocked the front door and went inside.

"Hello, house! I'm home!" Marge called out, closing the door behind her. She took off her coat and went into the living room. "Hon?" Marge turned around and looked in the kitchen, but did not see her husband. She walked down the hall and went into the bedroom and was taken aback by the sight of the tall, dark-clothed man with the pageboy haircut sitting next to the desk. His face was serious. His hands were on his knees.

"Anton, what are you doing here?" Marge asked him. "Where's Norm?"

"He stepped out to run an errand."

"Oh, yah?"

"He said you needed to talk to me."

"Yes, I did."

Anton motioned his head for her to sit down. Marge walked over and sat down on the bed. She placed her hands on her knees, mirroring his exact position, but not showing the same emotion of his face. Her face was calm. Her eyes gentle and tame compared to the lack of warmth within the darkness of his.

"So, the names of those people you had me look into...Those were your parents, weren't they?"

"Yes, they were."

"Salvador and Raquel Chigurh, born in 1913 and 1918. Both died in 1954 at the ages of 41 and 36."

Anton remained silent, staring at her with cold, dead eyes. His expression never changed.

"Was there a reason why you decided to bring this up?"

"I think you already know the answer to that, Marge."

"You never did have no justice, did ya?"

"No", said Anton. "But I gave them my word."

"Oh, yah?" Marge asked him, surprised to hear this.

"Who sent you the information about my parents?"

"I got the records on account of a Sheriff Bell. Does that name have any meaning to ya?"

What neither one of them knew was that Ed Tom Bell, who had long since retired from being the sheriff of his once-peaceful town, was, in fact, the same middle-aged man who comforted Anton on the night his parents were murdered. It was Sheriff Bell who had taken it upon himself to protect the late Llewellyn Moss from Anton Chigurh some months ago, only to fail upon discovering Moss had been shot and killed by a group of Mexicans. Marge Gunderson did not know anything about this.

"I would not remember", said Anton.

"Well, I did everything just like you asked me to, but the funny thing is, there doesn't seem to be anything in the records about you at all. Almost as if you don't exist."

"I do exist, as much as you do, but there is nothing to know about me. After Vietnam, I managed to find work for myself, but my job was to remain classified."

"So, you were like an agent or something?" Marge asked him.

"Not in the way you would imagine", Anton answered.

Marge smiled and nodded her head. "Okay. So, what is it you want me to do?"

"You know what I want you to do. I want you to look into the murder and find out who killed them. You're a clever enough woman to handle this case on your own."

"Anton, that case was from twenty-six years ago."

"Yes, and it is a case that still remains unsolved", said Anton, raising his voice at her.

Marge dropped her cheerful expression and felt her eyes grow wide. Her face turned pale. She stared at Anton, fearful of his sudden change of tone. Patiently, he waited for her to respond. Marge slowly nodded her head and spoke in a low voice, "I'll do what I can."

Anton reached into his pocket and pulled out a quarter and looked at it. He held the coin between his thumb and forefinger and turned it over to tails, which was painted red.

"Much much does Elena mean to you?"

"Elena?"

Anton looked at her, slightly annoyed. "Yes. How much does she mean to you?"

"Anton, she means the world to me."

"Do those same terms apply to your husband?"

"Yes, they apply to little Sophia, as well."

"Smart woman."

"So, what is it you're trying to say?"

"I want to negotiate a deal. Think of it as a peace treaty between you and me. I do not hate you as much as I used to, but I know you are a woman who is honest and dedicated to what you do for a living. You'd do anything to make sure your loved ones were safe and protected. You make it a priority to think about others before yourself. I admire that. I think it is a vain thing for you to do, but I know it is part of your job to abide by the rules of the law."

Anton walked out the door and went down the concrete path and stood on the curb for about three minutes. He looked one way and then the other. He listened to the dead silence of the neighborhood, broken only by the faint barking of a dog. He looked back at the Gunderson residence. Finally, he turned around and walked two blocks down to where he parked the car. Inside the house, Marge pulled back the curtain and looked out her living room window. She smiled.


	24. For the Love of a Woman

Later that night, after he finished putting Sophia to bed, Anton went out to the living room. Elena was sitting on the couch, watching a talk show. Anton walked over and sat down next to her. Elena picked up the remote and turned off the television. She set the remote down on the coffee table and looked at Anton.

"Did you finish putting Sophia to bed?"

"Yes, I did."

Elena leaned her head against his shoulder, cuddling up next to him. Anton placed his right arm around her.

"So, how did it go with Marge today?" Elena asked him.

"Okay", said Anton.

"Just okay?"

Anton paused for a minute. He turned his head right and looked at her. "I asked her to look into the murder of my parents", he said.

Elena widened her eyes and looked at him. "You did what?"

"I asked her to have the case reopened", said Anton.

Elena sat up straight, looking at him in disbelief.

"I don't know why I did this, but something told me I needed to."

Elena said nothing and continued to stare at him.

Anton rose from the couch and turned around. He sat down on the coffee table, meeting the same eye level as Elena. He stared at her for a minute. He lowered his eyes and placed his hand over her right wrist.

"How's your arm?" Anton asked her.

"It's healing", Elena answered. "The doctor said I could get the cast taken off in a few weeks."

"That's good."

Elena blinked and looked at him, her turquoise eyes glistening in the moonlight.

Anton looked at Elena and asked her, "What about you?"

"What about me what?" Elena asked him.

"How come you never talk about your parents?"

"Because I never knew them. My parents died in a fire when I was only a baby."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You didn't have anything to do with it."

Anton kept his gaze on her for a minute and said nothing. After a while, he rose up and took her hands into his, standing her up on her feet. "Let's go to your bedroom", he said.

They went into the bedroom. Elena sat down on the left side of the bed and undressed herself. Anton stood over by the window, looking out into the silent night.

"Anton, can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"Are you scared of losing me? Is that why you had Marge look into the murder of your parents?"

Anton turned his head slightly, but not enough to look at her. His eyebrows knitted together. "Why would you ask me that?"

Elena put on her nightgown and answered, "Because I know you. I know you're scared of being caught. You just don't show it. Why ask Marge to look up information about your past if you weren't?"

"I hardly remember who they were", said Anton. "My father was a doctor, my mother was a housewife. There is nothing else after that."

Elena turned her head and looked at him, a melancholy expression on her face. He still didn't look at her.

"What about me?" Elena asked him, standing up. "Don't I mean anything to you?"

Anton turned around and looked at her. He looked neither angry nor offended. Elena remained silent, looking hurt by his unspoken answer.

Anton walked over to Elena and brought his hand around to the back of her neck. He kissed her gently. Elena moaned in response. When he broke away from the kiss, Anton leaned in toward her ear and whispered softly, "I would rather die than live without you."

Elena looked at Anton and stared into his eyes. She cupped her hand to his cheek, stroking his face.

They both sat down on the bed. Anton looked away from her and began to take off his boots and socks. He stood up and went over to the dresser and open the top drawer. Elena scooted over to the right side of the bed, watching him. He slowly unbuttoned his shirt and allowed it to slide down off his shoulders. Tight muscles against soft skin. This enticed Elena, as she rested her chin against her knuckles and continued to stare at him with longing eyes. Anton removed his pants, stripping down to nothing but his underwear, his bulge slightly noticeable. He looked in the top drawer and found his nightwear and dressed himself. He stood there for a minute. Finally, he turned his head and looked over at Elena. He walked over to her.

Anton sat down on the bed and climbed on top of Elena, who gave him a faint smile. She looked nervous. Anton stroked her hair, admiring how beautiful and alluring she looked. He leaned over her and kissed her again, cupping a hand to her face. Elena rested her left hand on his right thigh, moaning. Moving his hand away from her face, Anton grabbed hold of her wrist and placed her arm over her head, holding it into place with his other hand. He ran his right hand down her left side and caressed her thigh, grabbing hold of the hem of her nightdress.

Elena gasped and grabbed at his wrist, stopping him.

"What are you doing?" Elena asked him. Her eyes were bright and innocent. Longing, but also afraid.

"You know what I'm doing", said Anton. His face showed no emotion. His eyes remained stoic.

"Don't", Elena whispered.

"Why? Does this make you feel uncomfortable?"

"Anton, I'm not an experienced woman like you think I am."

Anton seemed confused by her words. Staring blankly at the beautiful woman, he sat up slowly and asked her, "You've never had sex before?"

Elena shook her head and answered, "No...I've done things to myself, but..."

"But you've never had a man make love to you?"

Elena shook her head again and said nothing. He could see the tears starting to build up into her eyes.

Anton stared at her for a minute, dumbfounded. He sighed to himself and stood up and walked over to the window. He placed a hand on the wall and leaned his forehead against it, closing his eyes, his breathing calm and deep. He regained his posture and stood up straight, opening his eyes again. They looked angry. Frustrated. He did not seem to care about her distress, though he wondered why she had waited to reveal such a sensitive bit of information to him. Had he reached the central nerve of her delicate core, Elena would be of no value to herself, at least in her own mind. As much as he wanted her, Anton Chigurh could not go through with the act of ravaging her.

Worried that she might have upset him, Elena sat up in bed and asked him, "Are you mad at me?"

Slowly, Anton turned around and looked back at her. He walked around to the other side of the bed and stood there looking down at Elena. She did not know what to expect from him.

"I cannot take away what is yours to give", said Anton. He pulled back the covers and told her, "That is for you to decide. Whether it be me or another man, you'll know when the time is right."

Anton got into bed and lied down on his back, staring up at the ceiling. Elena lied down again and turned over onto her left side. She placed her arm around him and rested her head down onto his chest, listening to his heartbeat. Anton wrapped his arm around her form, kissing her forehead. Elena sighed to herself, feeling bad about the situation. As much as she wanted him, Elena did not feel she was ready for sexual intercourse. In fact, she had hoped to save herself for marriage. It was no secret anymore that her fear had been revealed to the man she loved, though she had yet to discover that Anton had never bedded with another woman before.


	25. Protection

Four months and two weeks ago, Elena Olmsted never would have thought that she would become involved with a dangerous criminal. The first time she saw Anton Chigurh, she did not take him for a murderer. All she saw as an injured man in need of some help. The first time they met, she had offered to bring him to her home in Minnesota and take care of him, thinking him as being helpless. This wounded Anton more than when his arm broke during the car accident. Over time, the hitman had learned to let go of his wounded pride and accept things the way they had occurred. He never expected to fall in love with anyone, thinking of it as a trivial matter. Elena helped him to change his mind about that. Eventually, the woman he loved discovered his true nature and wanted nothing more to do with him. He gave her a choice to determine both their fates with the flip of a coin and forced her to call it. She chose tails and won. Because of the choice, Anton was forced to walk out of her life. Three days later, Elena was involved in a hit-and-run.

At the moment, Elena was driving down the road in her car, listening to the radio and mouthing the words to _Baby Love_ by The Supremes. Tapping her right hand on the wheel, she had just gotten off work and had her cast taken off. She came to a stoplight and turned the radio down. Leaning back in her seat, Elena turned her head right and then left. Her smile faded when she looked on the corner and saw a white vehicle parked on the side of the road. The car was a 1956 Ford Mainline.

Elena heard a car honking behind her and looked at the stoplight and saw it was green. She looked at the vehicle on the corner again. The car had changed from white to black. Brushing off the figment of her fear-filled imagination, Elena returned her focus back to the road and continued driving. She did not like to admit it, but she still had nightmares about her second encounter with death. The hit-and-run that almost killed her two months ago was caused by the escaped convict, Andrew Pittman, a delusional man who stabbed her months prior to her meeting Anton. Though it still worried her that she did not know the whereabouts of Andrew, she knew the police were still searching for him.

Reverting back to reality, Elena glanced over at the radio for the time. It was almost three o'clock.

The station wagon drove up to the school and parked next to the sidewalk. Elena opened the door and got out. She walked around the car and stood there waiting. The bell rang and the children were released.

Two boys were talking to Sophia when she came out of the building. The girl looked over at her mother and smiled. Elena waved to her. Sophia said goodbye to the two boys and ran over to Elena, who knelt down and embraced her daughter into a tight hug. Sophia threw her arms around her mother's neck and hugged her back in return. Elena released the child and stood up and opened the door. Sophia got into the back seat. Elena shut the door and walked around the car and got in and turned the engine on and headed down the road.

"Did everything go okay at school today?" Elena asked.

"Yep", Sophia answered.

"Your teachers give you any homework for the weekend?"

"Just a history report we have to turn in on Monday."

"Okay, when we get home, I want you to get started on it. No lazying."

"Fine."

When they got home, it was 3:18. The station wagon drove down the trail and parked in front of the little white house. Elena and Sophia got out of the car and walked up to the front porch. Elena took the key from her pocket and opened the door and entered the house with her daughter.

Anton Chigurh was sitting on the couch, reading a newspaper. He turned his head to the left and saw both mother and daughter come in. Sophia looked at him as she walked across the living room.

"Hi, Anton."

"Hello."

Sophia looked away from him and went down the hall to her bedroom.

Elena shut the door behind her and walked over to the couch and sat down next to Anton, who lowered the newspaper he was reading and looked at her.

"How did your day go?" Anton asked her.

"Good", Elena answered. "Do you mind if I borrow this?"

Elena took the paper from him and read the front page news to herself. **_Fink dead at age 73_** _. Broadway playright Barton Fink died in his sleep last night at 3:33 a.m., as confirmed by his wife, Isabelle. Fink was born in New York City in 1907. He is best remembered for writing the play, Bare Ruined Choirs. Fink moved to Hollywood in 1941 and began writing scripts for Capital Pictures. He remained in Los Angles for the rest of his life._

"That's unfortunate", said Elena. She folded the newspaper and set it on the coffee table. She looked to her left and asked him, "Did you miss me?"

"Why would I miss you?" Anton asked her.

"Because you love me."

"I never said that."

"Yes, you did. If you never said it, you wouldn't be here right now, would you?"

Anton gave her a rare smile and said, "You're finally learning."

Elena giggled and leaned in and kissed him. She looked into his eyes and said, "I didn't know I was suppose to be learning anything."

"Your lose", said Anton, grabbing Elena by her shoulders. He kissed her fiercely, receiving a moan from her pale throat. Elena placed her hands on both sides of his face and returned the kiss with equal passion. The phone rang. Anton broke away from the kiss first. Elena gasped for air and looked at him in a daze. He remained his stoic self, acting as if though nothing just happened. The phone continued to ring. Elena stood up and went to answer the phone. She put the receiver to her ear and answered.

"Hello?...What?...No, there's no Roderick Jaynes here. You've got the wrong number." Elena hung up the phone and rolled her eyes in annoyance. She looked at Anton.

For a long minute, Anton said nothing. Not wanting to repeat another incident of awkwardness between them, Elena cleared her throat and walked away into the kitchen.

Another week went by. On a late October evening, as they were sitting around the table eating dinner, Sophia looked at Anton and asked him, "Have you decided on what you wanna dress up as tomorrow?"

Anton looked at the child and asked her, "I beg your pardon?"

"For Halloween. You gotta wear a costume", said Sophia.

Anton looked away and told her, "No."

"Why not?"

"Sophia, I think Anton and I are just gonna stay home on Halloween", said Elena.

"You're not gonna dress up either?" Sophia asked, sounding disappointed.

"No."

"Are you gonna visit Cousin Norm and Cousin Margie?"

"Maybe. I don't know yet."

Anton looked at Sophia again and asked her, "Have you decided on what you want to be yet?"

"I wanted to be Snow White this year, but Mommy said she couldn't find the dress", Sophia answered.

Elena wiped her mouth with a napkin and, "That reminds me." She stood up and walked over and opened the cupboard and pulled down a shoe box from off the shelf. She turned around and walked back over to the table and placed the shoe box in front of Sophia. "Maybe this will cheer you up", she said.

Sophia looked at her and asked, "What is it?"

"It's a surprise", said Elena.

Sophia looked at the box and opened the lid and pulled out a long garment of blue and yellow fabric. She gasped in excitement. She looked at her mother and said, "I thought you told me you couldn't find it!"

"I know", said Elena. "That's why I made one for you. Do you like it?"

"I love it!" Sophia exclaimed. "Can I try it on, please?"

"It's your dress. You can do what you want with it", Elena answered.

Sophia pushed her chair back and jumped out of her seat and ran out of the kitchen and went to her bedroom to try on her costume.

Anton rose from his seat and started to gather up the dishes. Elena stood up and picked up her own dishes, as well as Sophia's. They both walked over and placed the dishes in the sink.

Elena turned to him and said, "By the way, I have something for you, too."

Anton looked at her and asked, "Like what?"

Elena lowered her head and reached into the pocket of her jeans and pulled out a condom contained inside a plastic wrapper. She looked at him and smiled.

Anton took the condom from her and looked at it. "Where did you get this?"

"From the pharmacy."

Anton looked at her and said, "You know these are not one-hundred percent effective, don't you?"

"Yes, and I've already thought ahead of that." Elena reached into her other pocket and pulled out a device that looked like a compact.

"How long have you been taking those?"

"Two weeks. I've taken one every morning since I got them." Elena opened the case for him to see. "I've been thinking about what you said and...I feel like I'm ready to take the next step into our relationship."

Anton stared at her for a minute, not sure what to say. Finally, he asked her, "You're sure about this?"

Elena nodded her head and answered softly, "I'm sure."

"Ready or not, here I come!" Sophia announced.

Anton and Elena turned around and placed their hands behind their backs, hiding both the condom and the compact from the child, as she came back into the kitchen wearing her costume. "What do you think?" Sophia asked them.

Anton nodded and said, "You look nice."

Elena gave a look of disapproval and shook her head. "Mmm, I don't like it", she said.

Sophia frowned upon hearing this, looking confused. "What?"

Elena pointed to her head and asked, "Aren't you forgetting something?"

Sophia thought about it a minute. "The hairbow!" She gasped.

"I'll pick one up for you after I get off work tomorrow", Elena reassured her.

Sophia breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Okay. Thanks, Mommy." She turned around and left again.

Anton looked back at Elena and asked her, "How do you propose we have sex while a child is still in the house?"

"Sophia got invited to a sleepover at a friend's house tomorrow night", Elena explained. "I offered to take her trick-or-treating, but she said she wanted to spend some time with her friends. I already told her she could go. So, if you're not doing anything special tomorrow, I suggest you meet me in the bedroom at 7:30."

Elena raised her eyebrows at him in a suggestive manner and turned around and walked over to the laundry room.

Anton stood there for a minute, thinking it over. He did not expect her to give in so quick. He did not think she would ever give in to him at all.


	26. Mystery of Love

The night was cold and the air was filled with the smell of autumn. A chilled wind rustled the branches on the trees. The streets were littered with the deepest colors of red and gold from the fallen leaves that floated gently on the soft breeze. The moon was full and bright.

On every street and every corner, children were being accompanied by their parents or with a group of friends, each one traveling from one door to the next.

Elena drove carefully down the street and pulled up to a house with very few Halloween decorations. She got out of the car and walked around to open the back door for Sophia. The child was wearing her blue and yellow dress and had a red ribbon in her hair. Both mother and daughter walked up to the house and rang the doorbell. They waited.

An olive-skinned woman in a red dress opened the door and greeted them.

"Hello, Miss Olmsted."

"Hello, Mrs. Goldman."

"Hi, Sophia. I love your Snow White costume."

Sophia nodded and said, "Thank you."

"Well, come on in, sunshine", said Mrs. Goldman. Sophia walked into the house and went to the living room. Mrs. Goldman looked at Elena and asked her, "Would you like some cider or anything?"

"Oh, no, I can't stay long. I have a date."

"That's all right."

"Sophia, could you come here for a minute, please?"

Sophia walked back over to Elena, who knelt down to the child's level and asked her, "You'll be okay tonight?"

"Mm-hmm", Sophia answered, nodding. "I'll be all right."

"Okay. If anything happens, or if you get scared in the middle of the night, just call me. Okay?"

"Don't worry, Mommy. I'll be fine."

"All right. Have fun, but don't eat too much sugar."

"I won't."

Sophia turned around and went back over to the living room with the other children.

Elena stood up and explained to Mrs. Goldman, "It's her first sleepover, so I'm a little nervous about leaving her alone."

"No, don't worry about a thing, Miss Olmsted", Mrs. Goldman reassured her. "I'm sure she'll have a good time. Besides, I have your number, just in case."

"All right, thank you", said Elena. "Bye, Sophia!"

"Bye, Mommy!" Sophia called out from the living room.

Elena nodded and said, "Happy Halloween, Mrs. Goldman."

"Oh, yah. You, too." Mrs. Goldman shut the door. Elena turned around and walked down the concrete path across the yard.

A police car pulled up next to Elena just as she was about to get into her vehicle. She turned around and saw the driver roll the window down. It was Marge. "Hiya, El", she said.

"Hey, Marge. What are you doing?"

"Oh, nothing. I just thought I'd drive around town, make sure everybody was being careful tonight. You never know what might happen on All Hallows Eve, ya know."

"Oh, yeah. On a night like tonight, you never know what kind of creeps are out there."

"Oh, you betcha, yah."

Elena nodded and said, "Well, I think I should be getting back home before it gets too late."

"All right, drive safely now", said Marge.

"I will."

Elena turned around and opened the door and got in the car. She shut the door and put on her seatbelt and started the engine. She turned her head left and waved to her cousin and said, "Happy Halloween, Marge. Say hi to Norm for me."

"All right, I will. Have a nice night, El."

When she got home, Elena opened the door and stepped into the living room and shut the door behind her. She went down the hall and turned to the bathroom and put her ear to the door. The shower was running. She looked to her bedroom and went into it.

Elena walked over to the dresser and removed her shirt and pants, standing there in only her bra and underwear. She opened the top drawer and started to search for something. She heard the door open and looked behind her.

Anton stood in the doorway, wearing nothing more than a towel wrapped around his waist. His hair and chest were damp from the shower. Elena walked over to him and said nothing. She had that same look in her eyes. The one she held each time she had desirable thoughts about him. Her cheeks were a soft pink.

"I've seen you give me that look before", said Anton. "Don't try to deny it."

Elena shook her head and told him, "I'm not."

"One look is all it takes. Especially with those beautiful eyes of yours."

Anton reached his hands around her and unhooked her bra in the back, tugging gently on the straps and allowing it to fall gracefully from her body. Her breasts were not large, but neither were they small. Not that it mattered to either one of them. It was only flesh and nothing more. Elena removed her undergarments and stood before him naked.

Slowly, Anton placed his right hand onto her left hip. His fingers were ice cold against her skin. He felt her shiver, taking in all of her at once. Her skin was warm and angel soft.

Elena closed her eyes and started breathing heavily. Anton watched her expression, seeing how responsive and sensitive she really was. Lowering his head, he unwrapped the towel from around his waist and allowed it to fall down to the floor. Elena opened her eyes and looked down to see the part of him that was most private. She blushed again.

Anton returned his gaze back to her, saying nothing. He stared lovingly into her turquoise eyes. A soft glow surrounded his face in the dark. Elena stepped forward and leaned in closer to Anton and gave him a gentle kiss, as she placed her hands onto his chest. The warmth of her fingers made him feel an uncomfortable tightness in his heart. They kissed twice more.

Anton looked at her again and noticed her eyes were sparkling. Elena turned around and walked over and sat down on the left side of the bed, keeping her eyes locked on him as she lied down on the mattress. Anton stepped into the room and walked over to join her, placing a knee on the bed before mounting himself on top of Elena, straddling her.

Elena held her breath, wondering what he was about to do next. Anton expected to see fear in her eyes, but there was nothing. Her eyes were calm, almost never blinking.

Anton reached over and opened the top drawer of the nightstand and pulled out the condom and closed the drawer again. He opened the package with his teeth and carefully slid the condom onto his penis. Placing his hands on her shoulders, Anton leaned over her and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, the dark brown of his eyes staring into the turquoise blue of hers.

"You know this is going to hurt, don't you?" Anton asked her.

"Just be gentle with me", Elena whispered.

"I can't promise you that I will, but I will do the best I can."

Elena said nothing, but nodded her head, letting him know that she understood. There was no turning back at this point.

With her permission, Anton slowly thrust himself into her. Elena closed her eyes and let out a pained gasp. She grabbed onto his right shoulder, breathing heavily. Anton stopped at once and waited for her to adjust to his size. She was tight, but not as tight as he had thought. Elena opened her eyes and looked at him, loosening her grip on his shoulder.

Anton cupped her face with his hand and kissed her softly. Elena moaned and broke away for air and turned her head, allowing him to leave a trail of kisses on her neck. He took hold of her wrist and placed her arm over her head. He pulled out of her and thrust into her again, a huff of breath came from deep within his throat.

Anton was slow with her, careful not to cause her any discomfort. Elena breathed slowly as he continued to move himself in and out of her. It hurt her for a while, but she ignored it. Once the pain was gone, she was able to relax and enjoy the nature of their raw passion. Anton kissed her again, his hand exploring the side of her body and caressing down her leg. Elena arched herself, pressing her body against him. She heard him groan. She could feel him growing harder with each new movement he made.

Elena was gasping and moaning the whole time. She wrapped her arms around his neck and spread her legs carefully as Anton continued to make love to her. She caressed his cheek with one hand, while gently touching his hair with the other. His arm slipped under her back, holding her firmly into his strong and powerful embrace, demanding her to come. His head was spinning, but he did not care. They kissed several times, moaning. The pace quickened. Pretty soon, the sweet wave of pleasure came over them both.

When it was over, Elena screamed out her pleasure, moaning loudly as she tilted her head back. Anton stiffened and groaned against her neck. He shook as he emptied himself into her, breathing hot and heavily against her breasts. He bucked hard against her hips and repeated the same act twice and then once more. He heard her moan each time in response. His hardness was dead and gone, but she could still feel him. Anton carefully pulled himself out of Elena and moved off of her. He removed the condom and tossed it to the floor. He would dispose of it in the morning. He turned over to lie down on his back and allowed his head to rest on the pillow behind him, sighing deeply.

Still trying to catch her breath, Elena turned her head right and looked at Anton. She turned over onto her side and placed her arm around him and rested her head on his bare chest. She listened to his heartbeat.

Anton waited until her breathing returned to normal and asked her, "Are you all right?"

Elena looked at him and replied in a soft voice, "I think so."

"Did you enjoy it?" Anton asked her.

Elena lied her head back down and sighed. "Yes", she answered.

For a moment, they lied there in the darkness.

Slowly, Anton sat up in bed and looked down at her, his eyes half-lidded. He placed his hand on her thigh, examining her. A pale pink fluid was running down her leg. Her wetness mixed in with her own blood. The barrier wall was broken. She wanted to know how it felt and he showed her. He had made her into a woman.

Elena remained silent and looked at him, her breathing slow and steady.

Anton looked into her eyes once more and said, "You might be sore for a few days."

Elena shook her head and told him, "Don't worry about me. I'll be okay."

"Turn over", said Anton.

Elena obeyed him and turned over onto her left side. Anton placed his arm around her and held her close to him. His large hand cupped her breast, fondling her. She was barely able to fit into his palm. His thumb brushed against her nipple, still hard and erect. Elena closed her eyes and moaned softly, contently. She felt him move his hand down to her thigh, lightly touching her with just his fingers. This earned him several moans from her in return. Eventually, she turned quiet.

Anton already knew that she was asleep. Lying there with her in the darkness, he knew that he had done his job right. He knew it would be painful for Elena the first few minutes after they got started, but she braved it. He was proud of her for that. Thus, he allowed her to sleep. She had earned it.

After a while, her skin turned cold. Anton pulled the blanket up to cover them both and provide Elena with some decency, as well as warmth. He wrapped his arm around her again and went to sleep.


	27. Winter Snow and Recurring Dreams

In the early morning of dawn, Elena woke up and turned over and found she was alone in bed. She sat up slowly and moaned, placing a hand on her stomach. The pain came and went. She turned her head right and looked toward the window. The room was dark, but the new day was starting to approach.

Elena pulled the blanket off of her and placed her feet on the floor. She stood up and walked out of the bedroom. She went into the bathroom and turned on the light and shut the door, locking it. She stepped into the shower and turned on the faucet to hot, adding a bit of cold to mix in with the warmth. Grabbing a bar of soap, she washed her body.

Elena went back into the bedroom and got dressed. She put on a light blue T-shirt and jeans. She turned to the tall dresser and picked up a bottle and sprayed herself with perfume. She brushed her hair and looked at herself in the mirror. She still had the same face, but it was different. Mature.

Elena walked out of the bedroom and went down the hall and out into the living room. The lamp was on. The television, too. The sound was muted. Elena walked over and looked out the window.

Anton was leaning against the station wagon. He listened to the sound of the wind. It was distant. Faint. The sun rose over the house, bleeding a golden light. The voice of a bird caught his attention. He turned his head right and looked up. A sparrow was perched on a tree branch. It chirped. They made eye contact. Just as soon as it looked at him, it flew away.

Elena walked out and stood on the front porch. The air was cold. A light dusting of frost was on the ground, but she didn't seem to notice.

Anton looked at her. He stood straight and motioned with his head for her to come over to him. Elena walked over to him. They stood but a foot apart from each other.

"How long have you been out here?" Elena asked him.

"An hour", Anton answered her.

Elena lowered her eyes and folded her arms across her chest, hoping to block the cold. She looked at him and asked, "You were thinking?"

Anton nodded. "Yes, I was."

"Do you think what we did was a mistake?"

"No."

Elena narrowed her eyes again, nodding. She brought her gaze back to look at him.

"Do you see it that way?" Anton asked her.

"No", Elena whispered, softly.

Anton said nothing and stared at her, his thin mouth curved into a faint smile. He noticed she was cold and removed his denim jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. He cupped a hand to her face and said, "You are my life now. It is my job to take care of you and make sure you are safe."

"Nothing's going to happen to me, Anton", Elena reassured him.

"You don't know that", Anton disagreed. "And neither do I. Nothing is certain anymore."

"Maybe not", said Elena.

Over the next three weeks, the weather forecast predicted nothing but rain and snow for the city of Brainerd. The rain came and went, but it was not cold enough yet to make it snow. The ongoing search for the dangerous criminal and escaped convict continued. The police station never had this much trouble in finding one man.

On the eve of November the 28th, Marge Gunderson woke up about three o'clock in the morning and went to check the thermostat out in the hall and turned the temperature up and went out into the living room. She walked over to the window and looked outside. The snow came down in a calm, but elegant storm of light wind and freezing air. She sat down in a chair by the window, gazing out into the cold night. It brought back a memory of when she and her cousin were children. It was an innocent time back then. Being an adult, Marge knew now that it was a curse for her to see nothing but goodness in everything and everybody. Her illusion no more than a childhood dream. No matter what, she knew there would always be evil in the world, even if she refused to believe in it. It was in the past, present, and future. There was nothing she could do about it.

Sophia woke up the next morning and jumped out of bed and got dressed in a warm coat, hat, gloves, and scarf. She ran outside at once and turned around and fell backwards into the snow, making an angel. She laughed. She sat up and cupped her hands into the snow and tossed it up in the air. Part of it landed on her face, but she didn't care. Winter had come.

Anton Chigurh stood out like a shadow against the backdrop of winter snow and desolate woods. Although he wore his denim jacket, he could still feel the cold. He was used to it, but then again, he had never seen snow before. He could not understand why people would find joy in it, but he accepted it. He was standing next to a tree by the river. His gaze was fixed on the atmosphere of the winter landscape. He glanced about the area. The air was calm.

Dressed in a parka, Elena came walking through the woods until she found him. His back was to her. He didn't even notice she was there. Elena carefully made her way down to where he was, stumbling only once.

Startled, Anton turned around and looked at her, surprised to see her.

"There you are", said Elena. "I've been looking for you."

"What are you doing out here, Elena?"

"Does it matter?"

Anton turned back and returned his gaze to the landscape. Elena came over and stood next to him, wrapping her hands around his arm and leaning against him.

"What were you doing out here?" Elena asked him.

"Nothing", Anton answered her.

Elena stood there for a long minute. She glanced at the river and then turned her head and looked at a tree to her left. She looked at the snow on the ground. An owl feather lied at the foot of the tree. She looked at Anton, who remained still and silent at the atmosphere around them.

"Are you all right?" Elena asked him.

"Yes, I'm all right", said Anton. He blinked and looked at her. "Are you concerned about me?"

"No. I just want to know what you're thinking about."

"Why would I be thinking about anything?"

Elena rested her head against his shoulder and said, "I don't know. I just worry about you sometimes."

Anton placed his hand over hers and said, "You shouldn't worry about me. If anything was wrong, I would tell you."

"That's good", said Elena.

Later that night, the snow started falling again. Elena went to check on Sophia in her room. She opened the door and found the child sitting up in bed. Sophia looked at her.

Elena smiled and walked in and closed the door. She went over to see her daughter and said, "Looks like someone had a busy day today, didn't they?"

"Yep. I even helped Quincy build a snow fortress", said Sophia.

"That's nice. Maybe tomorrow you'd like to try ice skating."

Sophia chuckled, knowing her mother meant it was a joke. Elena made sure the child was tucked in nice and warm before sitting down on the bed. "Did you have fun today?" She asked.

Sophia nodded. "Mm-hmm."

"That's good."

"Mommy, can I ask you something?"

"Sure. Like what?"

"Do you believe in ghosts?"

Elena blinked and asked her, "What do you mean?"

"Every night, I keep seeing this man standing at the end of my bed", Sophia answered. "His name is Buster Scruggs, but I don't think that's his real name."

"What does he look like?" Elena asked, curiously.

"He wears a white cowboy hat and suit. He also has blue eyes and dark hair. He's not as tall as Anton, but he has a nice singing voice."

Elena raised an eyebrow and asked, "Have you been hiding things from me again?"

"No", Sophia answered. "He's talked to me twice already. He said he's an angel and that he's gonna take care of the man that tried to kill you."

Elena stroked her daughter's head and told her, "You shouldn't worry about him. Marge will find him soon enough."

"Are you gonna hire Anton to kill him when she does?" Sophia asked.

Elena shook her head. "No", she answered. "I wish I could, though."

Sophia sighed and said, "I wish he were dead now."

"So do I", said Elena.

"Could you read me a story, please?"

"Sure."

Elena stood up and went to pick out a book from the shelf and came back and sat down on the bed and started reading. After she finished reading the story, Sophia fell asleep. Elena set the book on the nightstand and leaned over and kissed her daughter on the forehead. She stood up and went to the door and looked at Sophia one last time and closed the door behind her before leaving the room. She then went to her own room and climbed into bed and looked to her right and turned on the lamp. She picked up her Bible and opened it and read to herself.

Anton came into the bedroom a minute later, already dressed in his dark gray pajamas. Elena noticed him, but did not look away from her page. He knew she wasn't doing it on purpose. Anton shut the door and walked over and stood by the bed, a questionable look on his face. "You read that thing every night", he said. "How come I never see you go to church?"

"Because church is a man-made temple built by hypocrites", said Elena. She looked at him and said, "I tried going to church once and I didn't like it. To me, a person doesn't have to attend church to have a faith in God. I talk to Him and pray to Him on my own time, in my own way. Not as often as I should, but I know He always answers me whenever I need to talk to Him."

Anton said nothing and continued to stand there, his expression still the same.

"Why should it matter to you if I chose to become a Christian?" Elena asked.

"It doesn't", said Anton. "If that is the religion you chose to follow, then that was your choice."

"But you don't believe in it", Elena noted. "You don't believe in any religion."

"I have no say in religion", said Anton.

"That's a shame", said Elena. She closed the Bible and placed it back on the nightstand and turned off the lamp and lied down. Anton got into bed and lied down next to her. For a minute, they both lied there in darkness. They stared at the ceiling. Elena turned her head and looked at him.

"Anton?"

Anton turned his head and looked at her. "What?"

"I love you", said Elena.

"And I love you", said Anton.

Elena turned over and kissed Anton. They looked at each other for a minute. Then they both turned over again and went to sleep.

The night was black. The ground was white. It was twelve past four in the morning. A blackbird cawed somewhere. Anton woke up and turned his head and looked over his right shoulder. Elena was asleep, her back facing him. He blinked and looked at the foot of the bed and saw a man standing there. A man who he thought to be dead. His image was ruined by the blood on his clothes. The blood that stained him was his own. Half of his face was gone. A gun was in his right hand. Most of his left hand was missing.

Anton sat up in bed, staring at him. His eyes were wide with fear.

"Don't you make no noise or make any sudden movements", Carson Wells spoke, his Southern accent loud and clear. "You just keep your mouth shut. Otherwise I'm gonna have to take care of that little woman of yours."

"What are you doing here?" Anton asked him, his voice almost quivering. He couldn't remember the last time he felt so afraid.

"Don't think you got away with what you did", said Wells. "I know you, Anton. You think you can go on living an easy life with a clean getaway like you did there? There ain't no such thing as clean getaways, amigo. You just keep reminding yourself that."

Anton looked at Elena, concerned. She moved not at all. He then looked back at Wells and found he was gone. Nowhere in sight. He heard Elena moan and looked at her again. She turned over in her sleep, but didn't awaken. Anton lied back down and wrapped his arm around her and held onto her for a long minute, not wanting to let her go. He closed his eyes. A single tear escaped.

The next morning, Elena woke up and went to the kitchen and started making coffee. When Anton walked into the kitchen, she didn't look at him. His shirt was unbuttoned. His face looked rugged, but his hair was combed. He sat down at the table with his arms folded and his head bowed.

"Good morning", said Elena. "Do you want some coffee?"

"No", said Anton.

Elena turned and looked at him, her smile fading. "Hey, you okay?" She asked.

Anton looked at her and said, "I need to talk to you."

"Okay." Elena walked over and sat down in the chair next to him, holding onto her cup. For a long minute, Anton was quiet.

"You once told me that killing was not something I had to choose for myself, yet I chose it anyway", said Anton. "You know why I chose to become a contract killer, but I never told you how I got started."

Elena was confused. "Anton, what are you talking about?"

"It was right after I got back from the war. I didn't know what I was going to do. One night, I went to a bar in Austin, Texas. I sat down at a table and ordered a beer. There was a man at the counter. He was talking to the bartender. He mentioned to him that his wife had left him. He said he wanted her dead. He said that if he couldn't have her, nobody else could. I left the money on the table and went out and waited for him. When he came out, I went over to his car and tried to talk him out of it. He asked me how much I thought it was worth to waste the life of another person. I told him I didn't know. He offered me five-thousand dollars to take care of it. He paid me half and told me he would pay the rest once the job was finished. Without thinking it over, I accepted. It was easy to find out where she was. I tracked her down and found she was living with a black man. That night, I broke into the house and killed them both. Just before I left, I heard this voice coming from upstairs. I went to see what it was and looked in the bedroom. There was a crib. I walked in and looked in the crib and I found a baby girl crying for her mother."

"Oh, my God, you didn't-"

"You didn't let me finish. I set my shotgun down on the bed and picked her up and held her in my arms until she stopped crying. I stroked her face and told her I was sorry for what I had done to her. I told her it wasn't her fault. That her mother had brought this upon herself. I didn't know if the baby was his or not, but I knew I couldn't just leave her there. I picked up my shotgun and I took the child and placed her on the doorstep of the orphanage where I grew up. I left her with a note and the money I received from the job I was given the task of carrying out. Afterwards, I went back to the man's house and I killed the bastard."

For a while, Elena was silent. She looked at him with disbelief, shaking her head. "Why are you telling me this?" She questioned him.

"I don't know what I'd do if something were ever to happen to you", said Anton. "Last night, I had a dream that somebody was going to kill you. When you asked me to kill you the first time after you found out the truth about me, I couldn't do it...Mainly because I was in love with you..."

Anton stopped talking and lowered his head, placing a hand over his eyes. His shoulders shook.

"Hey, talk to me", said Elena, placing her hand over his. "Anton, look at me. I'm right here, I'm fine. What are you trying to say?"

Anton breathed deeply. He lowered his hand and looked at her again. "This can't go on forever, Elena", he said. "We can't keep putting on this charade and pretend that everything is all right. The police gave up looking for me a long time ago, but that doesn't mean I should continue hiding and living in secret. One day, I'll have to leave you. And on that day, you'll have to let me go."

Elena looked hurt, but understood what he was trying to tell her. She sighed. "Anton, I-"

Suddenly, there came a blood-curdling scream from Sophia's bedroom.

Elena turned her head left and rose from her chair and ran out of the kitchen as fast as she could. She ran past the living room and down the hall and stood in the doorway of the first bedroom. Her face filled with fear and her blood ran cold.

"No. No, no, no, no!"

Elena went into the room and dropped down on her knees and placed her hands on her daughter's body, which was lying on the floor. She heard footsteps and looked up. Anton stood frozen in the doorway, his face darkened when he saw the child lying on the floor, twitching and convulsing. A small stream of foam was coming from her mouth. He looked at Elena.

"Do something! Call an ambulance!" Elena shouted.

Anton nodded and disappeared just as Elena turned the child over onto her side, hoping to rouse her. "Sophia, wake up! Please, wake up! Sophia, wake up! **Wake up!** _**WAKE UP!**_ "


	28. Seven Bullets, One Shot

Dr. Benedict held up an x-ray sheet, looking it over. The look on his face was not solemn, but he was puzzled. He set the x-ray sheet down and looked over the paperwork on his clipboard. He turned his head left and set his clipboard down and went over to the shelf of medical records and pulled down a folder, opening it and going through the information in it about his patient. He looked at another x-ray that was taken back in March.

Dr. Benedict walked out into the hallway, pinching his thumb and forefinger between his eyes, his head was bowed. He lowered his hand and lifted his head and looked over at his friend and coworker.

Elena stood outside the hospital room with her arms folded, looking in through the small window. Her eyes were bright. She looked as though she had been crying.

Dr. Benedict sighed through his nose and walked over to her, not knowing what to say or how she would react. He held his clipboard to his chest as he approached her.

"What did you find out?" Elena asked, without turning or looking at him.

Lying in a hospital bed, trapped in a comatose state of mind, Sophia looked at though she were in a very deep sleep. Having gone into a seizure, the motionless child fell into an unconsciousness from which nobody knew when she would awaken from.

Anton was sitting in a chair next to her bed. He kept his eyes on her, half-expecting to see her wake up. Marge stood next to him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. He didn't look away from the child. Norm was sitting in a chair by the window, watching them. His face was forlorn.

The door opened. The three adults looked over and saw Elena walk into the room. She shut the door behind her.

Marge came around the bed and walked over to her cousin. "What happened?"

"I just got done talking with Dr. Benedict", Elena told her. "He doesn't know what caused her seizure yet."

Norm came over and asked, "Have the doctors found out anything?"

"No", said Elena. "Marty is doing everything he can." With that said, Elena walked between the two and went over to Anton, who stood up and looked at her just as she came over to him. His face was blank, devoid of emotion. There was no need for them to use words or engage in conversation about the situation. Elena sensed it, the same as him. Her lips trembling, she allowed a sob to burst from them, lowering her head. She buried her face into his chest, wrapping her arms around him. Anton held onto her in a tight embrace, placing his hand on the back of her head. He closed his eyes, his fingers curled into her hair.

They stayed at the hospital for two days, waiting to see if anything would change. Dr. Benedict ran every test twice and still found no answer to his patient's dilemma. For two days, Sophia did not awaken. She remained locked in a coma, breathing lightly. Marge and Norm came by on the evening of the second day to see if there was any progress. There were no new changes. Elena remained by the child's side, almost never leaving the room. Anton kept a close eye on Sophia, as well. It hurt for Elena to see her child like this. She had seen her go through with leukemia in the past, but never anything like this. She did not understand why this had to happen to her child, especially now. There had to have been a reason. If not, Elena didn't wish to know the reason. Whatever it was, it made her angry.

Later that night, the Gundersons decided to head on home before it got too dark. Around that same hour, Dr. Benedict knocked on the door and opened it and stepped into the room. "Elena?"

Once again, the turquoise-eyed woman had her back turned to her friend. She refused to speak, not wanting to see anybody.

"Elena, I've done everything I can", said Dr. Benedict. "I'm not saying Sophia is dead, but there is a chance she will pull out of it."

Elena stood there for a minute, her back facing him. Slowly, she turned around and looked at him. Her face was calm, but her eyes were not. "When?" She questioned him, bitterly. "When do you think she'll be able to pull out of it? You said the same thing about her mother and looked what happened."

Dr. Benedict blinked and looked at her with surprise. Elena continued to glare at him, turning away and folding her arms across her chest. Dr. Benedict lowered his eyes, a look of hurt on his face. He sighed and turned around and walked away.

Shocked by her choice of words, Anton stood up and looked at Elena with an equally poisonous glare. There was brimstone burning in his dark brown eyes. "Why did you say that?"

"What?" Elena asked him. "You know it's the truth."

"That's not the point", said Anton. "That man is your friend. You put your trust in him the same way he puts his trust in you. At the moment, you have no faith in him."

"I don't have faith in anything right now, Anton", said Elena. "I thought we were over this nightmare, but apparently, we're not."

"Elena?"

Elena turned around and saw Dr. Hartman standing in the doorway. She gave them a friendly smile.

"What are you doing here?" Anton questioned her.

"I just came to see if you two were all right."

"We're fine", Elena answered quickly. There was a hint of snippiness in her voice.

Mary nodded. "Okay. Well, Martin and I are gonna take night shift, so if you want to go home and-"

"No", said Elena, shaking her head. "I'm not leaving here without Sophia."

Ignoring her defiance, Anton came around the bed and walked over to Dr. Hartman and told her, "Have Dr. Benedict call us as soon as anything changes. Only him. Do you understand?"

"Yah, sure. If anything comes up, I'll have him call you right away."

"Good. Now get out."

Mary nodded again and turned around and went out the door, shutting it behind her.

Anton stood there for a minute, regarding the way he had just spoke to Dr. Hartman. He was polite in his speech, but he was still serious. He turned around and looked at Elena, who stood there with her mouth open and her eyes wide, looking like an idiot.

"What was that about?" Elena asked him.

"I'm taking you home", said Anton. "You're agitated. You haven't slept in two days."

"Neither have you!" Elena argued. "I don't see you getting all agitated."

"I don't get angry like you do", said Anton. "I don't let my emotions take control of me."

"No, you'd just rather hide them and lock them up in a box, wouldn't you?" Elena snarked at him.

"How would you like me to drag you out of here by force?" Anton asked her. He was serious with his question.

"You wouldn't."

His dark and silent gaze gave her the answer. There was no point in arguing with him.

The drive back home was quiet. Anton kept his eyes on the road, momentarily glancing over at Elena, who looked out the window. He returned his gaze back to the road. It was dark, the headlight guided them down the street. He drove slowly. On either side, the woodland area was drenched in snow.

When they got home, Anton turned the engine off and leaned back in his seat. He looked at Elena. She didn't return the favor. Anton looked away from her and opened the door. Elena got out on her side and followed him up to the house. Anton took the key and opened the door and allowed her to step in first. He stepped in after her and shut the door behind him.

Elena turned on the lamp on top of the sidetable drawer. She sat down on the couch and took off her socks and shoes. She then stood up and walked into the kitchen. Elena walked over to the sink and picked up a glass and filled it with water. She drank and stood there for a minute, thinking. She turned around and saw Anton leaning against the fridge. His arms were crossed.

"What? Are you gonna talk down to me like a two year old again?" Elena snarked at him.

"I don't talk down to you like that", said Anton.

"No? Then what do you call those rambling speeches of yours about fate and chance?"

"I don't ramble. You're only saying that because you're angry."

"Yes, I'm angry!" Elena shouted. "You know why I'm angry? Because I'm mad at you, Anton! I could have chosen anyone! Anyone! Instead, I got involved with a gun-totting, coin-flipping, misanthrope! I chose you, Anton Chigurh, but you do not make life easy for me! Ever since I met you, things have been going from bad to worse!"

"Go ahead, then", said Anton. "If you think killing me will solve everything, then do it."

"Uh-uh", said Elena, shaking her head. "I'm not gonna kill you. You know why? Because that's what you want me to do. You've got a fucking death wish and you fucking know it!"

"What makes you assume that I am suicidal?" Anton asked her. "You're the one who has a death wish, you just don't know it. You're scared of the fact that Sophia might not ever wake up. You don't know for certain how this is going to turn out. You act as if that child is already dead. If God wanted to take her, he would have done it a long time ago when he gave her that disease."

" ** _THAT DOES IT!_** "

Without thinking, Elena threw the glass cup at Anton, who ducked out of the way just in time. The glass shattered against the fridge. Elena ran past him and went down the hall to her bedroom. She opened the door and ran over to the bed and crawled over to the other side and opened the top drawer of her nightstand and went through her things, searching for her gun.

Hearing a click, Elena froze in fear, holding her breath as though she were expecting to be shot. She turned her head and looked to the door. Anton was standing in the doorway, holding the Beretta in his hand. He was pointing the gun in her direction. Elena stood up slowly and placed her back to the wall, looking nervous.

"There are seven bullets in this gun", said Anton, his voice calm and serene. "I counted them. One bullet is all it takes to end a life. I know you've never fired a weapon in your twenty-four years of living. I've had more experience than you. You are not cut out for this line of work."

Elena said nothing, standing there in disbelief.

Anton inclined with his head for her to come forward to him. Slowly, Elena stepped around the bed and walked over and stood in front of him.

"This is not the time for you to be shutting down like you are", said Anton. "Your daughter needs you to be strong. If you can't handle it, then you should just kill yourself now and be done with it all."

Elena felt hurt by his statement. "How can you say something so cruel like that?" She asked him, her voice a weak whisper.

"I didn't", said Anton. "A long time ago, you told me that if anything where to happen to Sophia, you'd rather put a bullet in your brain."

Elena blinked and stood there in silence, looking lost. "But...I didn't mean it."

Anton nodded his head. "Yes, you did", he informed her. "If you never meant it, you never would have said it."

Elena didn't answer him. Her eyes began to cloud with tears, her lips tightening.

"What does the Bible say about killing yourself?"

Elena shook her head, begging him. "Anton, please, don't-"

Anton raised his voice at her and shouted, "Answer the question, damn it!"

Elena shook from his tone of voice, lowering her face to avoid his demonic appearance. She felt like crying, but refused to let tears flow. She shook her head, trying to remember despite her fear. Taking a breath, she recited, "' _But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, he is guilty of an eternal sin_ '. Mark 3:29."

Anton remained silent and stood there motionless, not moving. His eyes held no warmth. His hold on the gun was steady.

Elena looked at him again and begged him, "Anton, please...I take it back...I never meant to say it, I didn't mean to say it...Please."

For a moment, Anton stood there, regarding her plea. In the past, he would have been appalled to see anybody try to beg him to spare their life. This was not a killing. It was not even a job or a mission. It was a prayer. A prayer for forgiveness. She was actually praying to _him_ for forgiveness. He was not a god, but he accepted it.

"I know you are angry", Anton said at last. "You denied it at first, but now you've accepted it." He paused for a minute. Anton then looked down at her hand and placed the gun into it and positioned the barrel at his heart. "However, if you still think this will make everything better, do it."

She looked away for a brief minute, stifling a sob. She looked at him again, silent tears flowing down her cheeks. Her throat tightened, as though invisible hands were trying to squeeze her neck and choke her, forcing her to carry out the wicked deed of committing murder, even if he was a criminal. Anton remained still as stone, his face darkened with each passing minute. Elena inhaled sharply, holding the gun up and pressing the barrel against his forehead, right between his eyes. Anton closed his eyes, waiting. His heart raced, but she did not hear it.

Elena quivered at the thought of what she was about to do. Before he came along, she had never killed another person. It made her sick just thinking about it. Her hands shaking, she lowered her head and gasped.

The gun fell to the floor with a thud.

Lowering her head into her hands, Elena sank down to her knees. A sob was heard from her lips.

Anton opened his eyes and looked down at her. He didn't feel any remorse for forcing her to make a tough decision. It was all a test of strength and weakness. She failed, but he would not berate her for it. She had already suffered enough. He knelt down on one knee and took her hands into his own. Her hands were cold. Elena threw her arms around him, her tear-stained face pressed against his chest. She started crying, softly.

"I'm sorry", Elena whispered, sobbing.

"Quiet", said Anton. He hugged her and placed his hand on the back of her head, stroking her hair. "You just need to calm down."

Elena took a deep breath, trying to pull herself together. Her body trembled. She felt his hand rub the back of her neck, easing out the tension she was feeling. She continued crying, but it soon became less and less. Soon, a severe case of exhaustion came over her, fading her away into a world of darkness.

When Elena woke up, she was lying in bed. She turned over and sat up slowly and looked at the time. 1:16 in the morning. She placed her feet on the floor and stood up and walked out of her bedroom. She walked across the hall and opened the door to the bathroom and turned on the light and looked inside. Nothing. She turned to her left and looked in the mirror. Her eyes were bloodshot. Her face looked drained. She turned the light off and shut the door. She went down the hall and out into the living room. The lamp had been turned off. She walked over to the door and opened it.

Elena went out and stood on the front porch. The station wagon was parked in front of the house. A blanket of snow covered the land. There was no wind, but the air was cold. She turned around and went back in and shut the door. Elena walked across the living room and went down the hall. She stopped just outside of Sophia's bedroom and looked at the door and opened it.

Elena stood in the doorway and looked at the room, scanning everything in the darkness. She walked in and stood in the middle of the room and glanced down. There was a shirt on the floor. She picked it up. She turned around and went to the closet and placed the shirt on a hanger and closed the door. Elena turned around and looked toward the bed. She walked over to it. The storybook she had read to Sophia the night before was sitting on top of the nightstand. Elena picked up the book and looked at the front cover. It was a collection of fairy tales. She opened the book and found a page of the story she had read to Sophia. There was an illustrated drawing of Snow White lying in a glass coffin being kissed by the prince. Elena closed the book and placed it back on the nightstand. She sat down on the bed and looked to her right. Quincy, the stuffed shark Sophia loved so much, was sitting all alone at the foot of the bed. He, too, looked sad. He almost looked alive to Elena, almost as if he were a real person, but she quickly brushed it off due to tiredness. Still wanting to keep him company, Elena reached over and grabbed the inanimate sea animal and held him to her chest. She lied down on the bed and turned onto her left side and went to sleep.


	29. Hartman vs The Gambler Lady

The dream came and went. She heard the sound of the ocean washing over the sand, a gull crying. The sky came into view, the gray morning fog beyond the horizon. There was a breeze. Elena found herself standing on a beach. Her hair was tied back. She felt the waves come up to her ankles and looked down at the water, only to discover that she was naked. She heard a growling sound and turned around. A black wolf with yellow eyes came out from behind a bush and bared his fangs, snarling at her. Elena covered her breasts, feeling afraid. She didn't move. She wanted to, but felt that she couldn't. A roar followed. Looking to her right, Elena gasped and saw a strong and powerful lion jump out from nowhere. The lion stood in front of her, roaring at the wolf. He seemed to be protecting her. The wolf growled and barked at the lion, but the king of the jungle did not back down. The lion pounced at the wolf and sank his jaws into the wolf's neck, killing him instantly. Elena gasped at the sight, her eyes widening in fright. The lion released the carcass and turned around and looked at her. Elena lowered her arms and continued to stare at the lion. He was tame, showing her that he meant her no harm. His mane was dark. Elena walked over to him and knelt down, looking into his eyes. She petted his mane, feeling how soft it was. The lion nudged against her face. Elena closed her eyes and hugged the lion around his neck. The dream faded.

The room, as well as the bed she was lying on, were not her own. She was holding a plush shark. She felt warm, despite not being under the covers. Turning her head, Elena discovered a denim jacket was draped over the upper portion of her body. She sat up slowly, allowing the jacket to slip down off her shoulder. She looked down at herself and found she still had her clothes on. She set the plush shark on the bed and looked at the jacket, holding it and bringing it up to her face to feel the soft touch of smooth fabric rub against her cheek.

Elena heard the door open and looked to her left. Anton Chigurh stepped into view, standing in the doorway with his hand on the knob. Their eyes met. For a long minute, neither one of them spoke.

"You're awake", said Anton.

Elena remained quiet, keeping her eye contact with him.

Anton released his grip on the doorknob and walked into the bedroom and went over to Elena, who looked at the jacket and handed it over to him. Anton took his jacket from her, but he did not put it on. He sat down on the bed and continued to look at Elena, who avoided his gaze and was unable to bring herself to look at him.

"How are you feeling?" Anton asked her.

"I'm fine", Elena answered him, her voice low and quiet. She still didn't look at him. "I don't know what came over me last night, I just-"

"You need to speak up and look at me when you're talking to me", said Anton, a hint of darkness in his calm and gentle voice.

Elena blinked and forced herself to look at him. His face showed no emotion, a typical response of him. His eyes were dark. He spoke not a word, staring at her and waiting for her to speak.

"Are you still mad at me?" Elena asked him.

"What do you think?" Anton questioned her.

Elena shook her head and told him, "I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. All this time, you've never once raised your voice at me."

"I did last night", Anton reminded her.

"That's not the point."

"Then what is the point?"

"The point is that despite everything you've done, the murders, I mean...Never once did you ever try to hurt me or yell at me. Whenever I reach my breaking point, I lash my anger out at you. It's not right."

"Your angry is no excuse for what you've done", said Anton. "However, due to the circumstances of which we are in, I forgive you. Just don't do it again."

Elena said nothing. She turned her head right and looked over toward the window. It was snowing outside. She looked at him again.

Anton stood up and told her, "Get dressed and meet me in the living room." He then turned around and left.

Driving to the hospital, Elena kept her eyes on the road. She drove slowly, gazing out at the world. A plush shark was in her lap. The snow came down heavy. Anton was sitting next to her in the passenger seat. He never once looked at her. He was still angry with her, even if he did not show it. Whenever he got angry at her, he didn't speak. Elena accepted it. She didn't know what to say to him anymore, either.

Arriving to their destination, they both walked into the building. An older doctor came up to them and asked Elena for her assistance with a patient. She looked at Anton, who gave her a slight nod of his head. He understood she had a job to do. In the meantime, he would see to the child. Elena handed Quincy over to him. They both took the same elevator. When it came to the third floor, Anton stepped out and looked back at Elena before the doors closed. He went down to the room where the child was and opened the door and walked in.

Sophia was lying in a hospital bed. Her eyes were closed and she looked to be asleep, only she wasn't. She was not dead, but she was still unresponsive. Anton walked over and set the stuffed animal down at the end of the bed. He looked over toward the window and walked over to it. He stood there for a minute, looking down at the snow-covered town. There were people in the street, cars passing. The world going by. He turned his head right and looked over at Sophia and watched her from where he was standing. He went over to her and stood there, looking down at the child. Anton sat down in the chair next to the bed and took hold of her wrist, checking her pulse. It was normal, but she was still trapped in a coma. He felt like speaking to her, but found it to be pointless.

An hour later, Dr. Hartman came by and stood in the doorway, holding a vase of flowers. She tapped the door with her knuckle, smiling. "Hello."

The man with the pageboy haircut turned his head and looked at her. His face was stoic.

"I hope I'm not intruding", said Dr. Hartman. "I just came by to give Sophia these flowers."

Anton stared at her for a minute and then looked away, focusing his attention back on the comatose child.

Dr. Hartman took that as a sign for her to come in. She stepped into the room and walked over and placed the vase on the small table by the bed. She looked at Anton, who kept his gaze on Sophia.

"She's a pretty girl", said Dr. Hartman.

With a faint smile on his face, Anton nodded and said, "Yes, she is."

Dr. Hartman nodded in agreement and said, "She's a good kid...Too bad her mother was a freak."

Anton's demeanor turned into a look of surprise, as he looked at Dr. Hartman and asked her, "I beg your pardon?"

"Natalia Burrows. Back in high school, she used to go around spewing all kinds of things to people. Stuff like, ' _Marty, you're gonna become a doctor._ ' ' _Joel, you're gonna become a lawyer._ ' ' _Franny, you're gonna have three children_ '...' _Mary, you're going to die before you ever get married'_."

"Did you believe her?" Anton asked her.

"No. I didn't, but everybody else seemed to", Mary answered, still smiling. "One time, Elena and I actually got into a fight about her. I called Natalia some nasty name and Elena got mad at me because Natalia was her friend. She told me to take it back and I refused, so she lunged at me and wrestled me to the ground. She pulled on my hair and I gave her a bloody nose in return."

Hearing that, Anton stood up slowly and looked at the blonde woman with a hint of malicious contempt in his dark brown eyes. "Why did you do that?" He questioned her.

"There were boys around and she was ruining my image", Mary answered. "I don't even know why I still hung around with Elena after that incident. I guess it was just a pity thing I had for her."

"You were jealous", said Anton.

"Me?" Mary asked him, a smirk on her face. "Jealous? Jealous of what? If Elena wanted to spend most of her time with a freak, that was her deal."

"It was not a deal, it was a choice", said Anton, liking this woman less and less by the minute. He walked over and stood at the foot of the bed, making sure to keep a close watch on Mary, even though he did not wish to. He did not think Sophia was safe as long as the viper was in the room. He also felt that this was more than just a simple visit. He would soon wish he had been right.

Mary walked over to him and noticed the plush shark sitting on the bed and picked it up, looking at it. "Kind of an ugly doll, isn't it?" She asked. She looked at Anton and said, "You'd think the kid would be interested in panda bears and unicorns." Mary looked at the plush shark again and dropped it onto the floor, kicking it away with her left feet. Quincy skid across the floor. This made Anton angry. He looked at Mary again. She raised a suggestive eyebrow at him and started to unbutton her medical coat.

"What are you doing?" Anton asked her.

"Relax", said Mary. "Elena is helping a doctor in surgery. It will take her about an hour before she gets back." Mary opened her coat and revealed to him that she was wearing a blouse that exposed her cleavage. "Come on. Relax a little bit. "

Anton said nothing, his eyes not looking anywhere but her face. There was a heated urge inside him that made him want to cut her throat open for what she was doing, especially in front of a child.

"You know, I asked Elena once what you looked like without a shirt on. She didn't say, obviously, but now that we're alone-"

"I'd like you to leave, Dr. Hartman", said Anton, cutting her off.

"Why?" Mary asked him, speaking in a seductive voice. "I've got nothing else better to do this morning. And I'd like it better if you called me Mary. It is my name, after all. Did you forget it?"

Anton didn't answer her, his expression remained non-changing and kept its contempt darkness.

"You and Elena still aren't going steady, are you?" Mary asked him.

"That is none of your business", said Anton.

"Why not? I've got this really nice house that you and I could get away to", Mary told him, moving closer to Anton. Her hands placed themselves onto his clothed chest and started tracing patterns over his heart with her fingers. "Forget about Elena", said Mary, in a breathless voice. Her blue eyes looked into Anton's dark brown ones and she gave him a vicious smile. "She's nobody. I still consider her a friend, but only when it's convenient for my benefit. It's too bad she has to look after that demon child, huh?" Mary moved her hands over to his shoulders, slowly trailing them down along his arms. She came to a stop at his hands. He didn't react. His fingers were relaxed, though the muscles in his arms were stiff with the urge to strangle her.

"Just tell me, is Elena pregnant? Because if she is, I can set up an appointment with an abortionist and you and I can-"

Before she could finish her sentence, Mary felt a hand grab her by her hair and screamed in pain. Her feet dragged across the floor as she was pulled over to the wall. Her back slammed hard against the wall and she screamed again. His left hand grabbed her right wrist and pinned it up against the side of her head. His right hand was around her neck, purposely choking her. Not enough to kill her, but just enough so that she couldn't speak. Dr. Mary Hartman gasped for air and found herself staring at the rage-filled face of Anton Chigurh. His eyes were like looking into a funnel cloud. The moment before the storm. He brought his face closer to Mary's fear-filled one.

"If you were really her friend, you wouldn't say those things", Anton whispered darkly. "You think you're better than Elena, but you're not. You think you know her, but you don't. You envy her. And that child you are referring to is not a demon, she's an angel...You stay away from my family...And if you ever try to fuck with me again, I will kill you."

Anton threw her down to the floor. Mary laid there on the ground, gasping and coughing. With his warning of death submitted into her mind, Mary looked up at Anton. He stared down at her, saying nothing. He felt no remorse for his action. Mary stood up at once and looked at him with fear as tears began to fill her eyes. She let out a sharp gasp and turned around and ran out of the room, crying.

Anton looked to the floor and picked up the plush shark and brushed off a speck of dust it had gotten on it. He turned around and walked over to the bed and placed Quincy over Sophia's chest. He took hold of her wrist and draped her arm over her friend to make it seem like she was holding him.

"I'm sorry you had to hear that", Anton spoke to her, softly. "I know you can't hear me, but..." He faltered in his speech and paused for a moment. Sighing deeply, he turned around and walked out of the room.

Walking out of the building, Anton Chigurh lifted his head to the sky and took a deep breath. He looked straight ahead and crossed his arms, shaking his head in disgust. It stopped snowing ten minutes ago. He stood there for a long time, hating the blonde woman. He felt like screaming, but knew it wouldn't help. It was bad enough he was a still a wanted man.

From across the street, Annaliese Erikson walked out of the convenient store, a box of cigarettes in her hand. She looked left and then right. She looked over across the street and noticed a strange-looking man standing out in front of the hospital. He wasn't looking in her direction. She thought she had seen him somewhere before. A little voice inside her head told her that she should go over and talk to him. He didn't look like much of a talker, but then again, she had dealt with much worse. Looking both ways again, Annaliese Erikson walked across the street and went over to the man.

"Excuse me?" Annaliese asked him, holding up her packet of smokes for him to see. "You wouldn't happen to have a lighter on you, would you?"

The man turned his head right and looked at the red-headed woman. "No", he said. His arms were folded across his chest.

"Well, I just thought I'd ask. I'm sorry for bothering you." With that said, Annaliese stuffed the cigarette box into her purse. She looked at the man again and studied him for a minute. She placed her hands on her hips and said, "You know...your face looks so familiar to me. Have we met before?"

The man lowered his arms and told her, "I do not think so." He turned around. Just as he started to walk away, Annaliese noticed the shape of his hair and snapped her fingers and said out loud, "Little Anton Chigurh!"

Hearing his name spoken by the unknown woman, Anton stopped where he was. His heart froze with fear. He turned around slowly and looked back at Mrs. Erikson. His eyes were wide with surprise.

"Now I remember where I saw you before!" Anneliese exclaimed. Her voiced held a Texan accent. "My goodness, you certainly have grown since last time I saw you."

Anton looked around to make sure nobody else had heard her and walked back over to the Gambler Lady. "How is it that you know me?" Anton asked her.

"You don't remember?" Anneliese asked him. "You might recall me as that chubby little ginger child that defended you when Linda Burton and Everett Carter were making fun of you that one time. They never got adopted, did they?"

Anton was silent for a minute. As if some long-forgotten memory was coming back to him, his whole demeanor seemed to change and he felt as though he were five again. "Anna Mathis?"

"It's Erikson now, Anton", said Anneliese. "I married a long time ago."

The once-proud hitman looked over the red-headed woman's figure and said to her, without even thinking, "You lost weight."

Anneliese laughed and looked down at herself. "I've made a few changes, yes", she said. Annaliese looked at Anton again and told him, "But I see you haven't changed one bit. Same chocolate brown eyes, smooth skin, pageboy haircut. But, honey, what are you wearing? Baby, the seventies ended a long time ago."

Anton looked down at himself and then glared at her in annoyance and asked, "What's wrong with the way I look?"

"There ain't nothing wrong with the way you look, Anton", Anneliese reassured him. "You've always carried sort of a distinctive and unique appearance about you. You know, if God had told me years ago that I would meet up with you again in our adult lives, I never would have left the orphanage in tears. I did try to convince the couple that adopted me to go back for you."

"It wouldn't have worked out, Anna", said Anton. "The couple who adopted you wanted you alone. They wouldn't even take so much as one look at me that day. Or any other day since. Nobody did."

"You mean you've been stuck at that orphanage all along?" Annaliese asked him, sounding sad and disappointed.

"I ran away from that place in 1965", Anton told her. "I went to Vietnam in '68 and got out when the war ended. I've been on my own since then." He paused for a minute, thinking it over, and then added, "Almost since then."

"Well, I figured you'd be married at this point in life", said Anneliese. "I mean, you're how old now?"

"I already have a woman in my life", said Anton, avoiding the question. "I didn't plan for it to happen, but it did."

"You talkin' 'bout Miss Ellie, ain't you?"

"Who?"

"Miss Olmsted. You know, the one with the pretty eyes and the gap between her teeth?"

Anton blinked and asked her, "What are you talking about? Elena doesn't have a gap."

"Don't you know a joke when you hear one?" Annaliese teased him, raising an eyebrow at him. It was more of a playful gesture than a flirt.

Anton detected the humor of her body language and cocked his head to one side, smiling amusingly. "Hmm", he said.

"Hey, dickhead!"

Anton and Annaliese both looked in the same direction and saw Mary Hartman come marching over to them. She stood in front of Anton and looked at him angrily. "I wasn't trying to fuck with you", Mary argued. "I don't even know why you give such a shit about Elena anyway. She's plain and boring and her cousin is a loser. Why would you want a homely girl like her when you can have a successful woman like me?"

Before Anton could open his mouth, Annaliese stepped in front of him and snarked at Mary, "Didn't Daddy Marine Corps teach you anything about interrupting people's conversation?"

Mary blinked in response, her face turned into an expression of shock. Anton could see fresh tears starting to fill her eyes. This came as a surprise to him for some reason.

Annaliese gave her a sly smile and said, "Ahh, now who's rubbing salt into the wound?"

Mary looked at Anton and then looked at Annaliese again, her lips tightening. She stormed off and went over to a red convertible that had a parking ticket attached to the windshield. She removed it and crumbled it up and tossed it into the street. She opened the driver side door and looked at Anton again. "Get a haircut, freak!" Mary yelled at him. She got into her car and started the engine and took off down the street, speeding.

"Don't you pay her no attention, Anton", said Annaliese. "She's just a sassy woman who thinks her manure don't smell like anything but a bed of poppies. I've seen pig vomit more attractive than she is."

"She's jealous and conceited", said Anton. He looked at his friend and said, "She tried to seduce me in front of a comatose child."

Annaliese looked at him with wide eyes and asked him, "Did you notify anyone about this?"

"No, I didn't. She will pay for what she has done soon enough."

Annaliese looked up at the building and counted the floors to herself. She looked at Anton and told him, "The head director is on the twenty-eighth floor. I'd report that to him if I were you."

Anton nodded. "All right."

Annaliese took her purse from off her shoulder and looked through it and pulled out a pen and a receipt. She wrote something down and said, "Well, I have to be moving along, but let me give you my phone number and home address."

"What for?" Anton asked her.

"Just to have it", Annaliese answered. She put the pen back into her purse and handed the receipt over to him and said, "If you ever need somebody to talk to, you just come right on over and see me anytime you like, day or night."

Anton took the receipt from her and gave her a slight nod of his head.

Annaliese placed the strap of her purse back onto her shoulder and told him, "Take care, friendo." She turned around and walked away.

The elevator dinged when it came to the third floor. The doors opened. Anton stepped out and went back to the room and found Dr. Benedict talking to Elena, who was sitting in a chair next to the bed. They both looked at him.

"Is she belittling you again?" Anton asked Dr. Benedict.

"No. In fact, Miss Olmsted has already apologized to me for her outburst yesterday", Dr. Benedict answered. "I was simply checking in and seeing how the patient was doing. Nothing has changed."

Anton glanced over at Sophia, who was still the same as when he left, motionless and unresponsive. His eyes looked at Elena, who stood up and waited for him to say something. Instead, he said nothing and walked into the room and went over to the window. He folded his arms across his chest, standing strong and silent as usual. Elena found it odd of him, but then remembered it was Anton she was thinking about.

Dr. Benedict placed a hand on his coworker's shoulder and whispered to her, "I'll leave you two alone." He turned around and went to the door and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Once he was gone, Elena went over to Anton and asked him, "Where were you? I missed you."

"I needed to be alone for a minute", Anton answered. His voice sounded different.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

Elena hugged her arms around his middle and leaned her head against him. "I know it's hard", she said. "I've been down this road with her before. The only thing we can do it wait."

Anton shook his head and told her, "It's not that."

Elena looked at him and asked, "What is it, then?"

For a minute, Anton didn't speak. He seemed lost, confused. Finally, he looked at Elena and asked her, "How much do you know about Mrs. Erikson?"

"Annaliese Erikson?" Elena asked him. "You mean the Gambler Lady?"

"Erikson isn't even her real name. It's Mathis."

"How do you know that?"

Anton paused for a minute. He looked out the window and answered, "Because she and I grew up in the same orphanage together."


	30. A Simple Conversation

It was quiet on the drive back home. The night had already fallen. There was snow on either side of the road. Thinking to herself, Elena looked at Anton for a brief second and then looked away again. "Was she your friend?" She asked him.

Anton knew she was referring to the red-headed woman he had spoken to this morning. Annaliese Erikson, a woman he had not seen since his childhood. He turned his head to the left and answered, "She was until you came along."

"But you didn't love her?"

"No. If I did, it would only be the same equivalent as loving a sister."

Elena said nothing and continued to focus on her driving. Her eyes were bright and dazzling, but they looked sad.

"Does that concern you?" Anton asked her.

"Not if you put it that way", Elena answered him.

"But you were worried about it before."

"Well, a little bit, yeah. I mean, I just thought maybe you and her had a thing in the past or something."

"That's foolish. The last time I saw Annaliese, I was five."

Elena turned her head right and looked at him for a minute and then returned her gaze back onto the road. Anton did the same thing. Not another word was spoken until they got back home.

The house was dark inside. Elena unlocked the door and opened it and walked in and went to turn on the lamp. Anton stepped inside and shut the door behind him and walked over to where she was standing. He stood behind her. His right hand took hold of her wrist. Her body tingled from his strong and firm, but gentle grip. For a moment, she held her breath.

"Do not think that I don't care about you", said Anton. "No woman has ever made it this far with me but you. I know I am not an easy man to live with, but the last thing I want is for you to be afraid of me."

"I'm not afraid of you, Anton", said Elena.

"You're the only woman I've ever loved in this world. I've been faithful to you this whole time. All I ask is that you remain faithful to me in return."

"I have been faithful to you, haven't I?"

"Yes, you have. You had doubts before, and so did I, but no matter how much you and I have hurt each other, we still can't deny the feeling we have for one another. I regret decisions I have made in the past, but had I not chosen them, I never would have met you. Regardless of choice, I want you to feel the same way I feel about you."

Anton released his grip on her wrist and moved his hand up her arm. Her skin was cold as ice. Elena remained motionless, letting him handle her. His hand rested upon her shoulder, dominating every nerve and senses in her body. He smelled the sea breeze on her neck and found himself aroused by it. Elena turned around and looked at him. His face was pale. His pupils were dilated.

In the soft light of the lamp, Elena stared at him for the longest minute and carefully placed her hand on the left side of his head, touching his hair. Slowly, his face inched closer to hers. Their vision concealed with darkness as their eyes closed. Their sense of sight was gone for a moment, and Elena found herself being kissed by Anton. His right hand traveled down the side of her neck and rested over her breast. He felt her heartbeat fluttering inside her chest. He bit her bottom lip, earning himself a pleasurable moan from her throat. In return, Elena threw her arms around his neck.

In the middle of the night, Anton and Elena were sleeping next to each other in bed. Their clothes were on the floor, but the blanket shielded their nakedness. Anton did not know what it was that woke him up, but just to be safe, he turned his head and sat up and looked at the foot of the bed. There was nobody there. No ghosts. No victims of the past coming back to haunt him. He got out of bed and walked over to the window, looking out for any sign of disturbance. He didn't care that he stood bare for the world to see. Nobody would notice, for there was nobody around. It was quiet.

In the morning, the snow started falling again. Anton stirred in his sleep and turned over onto his back. He opened his eyes and turned his head left to look at Elena, but she was gone. He sat up at once and threw the blanket off of him. He picked up his clothes from off the floor and got dressed and walked out of the bedroom. He was buttoning up his shirt by the time he got into the kitchen. Elena was standing over by the stove, cooking breakfast. She turned to look at him.

"You didn't wake me up", said Anton, tucking his shirt into his pants.

"I wanted you to sleep", said Elena. She turned her attention back to the stove and said, "You were kind of restless last night. I thought you were having a bad dream or something."

Anton ignored her and turned to the fridge and opened the door and took out a carton of milk. He shut the door and went to open the cupboard and took down a mug and poured himself a drink. He stood there for a minute and looked at Elena, thinking. He walked over and set his mug on the table, just as she turned around and came over carrying two plates filled with eggs, ham, and toast.

"I need to ask you something", said Anton.

Elena set the food on the table and looked at him. "Like what?"

Anton stuck his hand into his pocket and took out a receipt and asked her, "Do you know this address?"

Elena took the receipt from him and looked at the address written on the back of it. She looked at him with a frown and asked him, "What are you up to now, Anton Chigurh?"

The house was not hard to find. He drove slowly down the street, glancing to his right on occasion to make sure he hadn't missed it. He parked next to the curb and turned the engine off and got out and walked up to the house. He knocked on the door and waited for somebody to answer. He turned to his left and looked at the house across the street. An old woman was sitting in a chair by the window. He heard the door unlock and turned and was greeted by Mr. Erikson.

"Can I help you, sir?" Asked Mr. Erikson,.

"I'm here to speak with your wife", said Anton.

"Oh, yeah. Anna told me she'd be expecting you. Just a sec." Mr. Erikson turned his head and called over his shoulder, "Anna, that Chigurh fella's here to see ya!"

"All right, Joshua! Be out in a minute!"

Mr. Erikson looked at Anton and told him, "She'll be right with you in a jiff. She's just stepping out of the shower. I have some business I need to take care of in town, so I'll leave you two alone for about an hour." The husband stepped out of the house and zipped up his coat and walked past the friend of his wife and went to the car parked in the driveway.

Anton stepped into the house and shut the door behind him and walked into the living room and stood there for a minute. He tucked his hands into his pockets. He looked to his left and stared at the wall. The wallpaper was some kind of floral design. He glanced over at a wedding portrait sitting on top of a twenty-two inch television. He heard footsteps and turned around and saw Anneliese come in wearing nothing more than a sunshine yellow bathrobe. Her hair was damp. She wore no makeup, but it made no difference to him.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in", said Annaliese.

"Did I come at a bad time?" Anton asked her.

"No, not at all", said Anna. "Can I offer you some coffee?"

"No, thank you."

"Well, take a seat. Make yourself comfortable."

Anton removed his hands from his pockets and turned around and sat down in a chair and placed his hands on his knees.

Annaliese walked over and sat down on the couch. She picked up a box of cigarettes and pulled one out. She offered the box to her friend and asked him, "Do you smoke?"

"You know those things will kill you, don't you?" Anton asked her.

"We're all dying a little everyday, Anton. We just don't know it", said Annaliese. She put the box down and picked up a silver lighter and lit her smoke. She held the cigarette between two fingers and inhaled. She blew out a ring of smoke and looked at him again.

"I don't suppose you came over just to give me a lecture, did you?"

"No. I came over because I wanted to talk to you."

"Well, talk. I'm listening."

"You've been married to your husband for a long time", said Anton. "Was it worth it?"

"It was very much worth it", said Annaliese.

"How much do you know about Marge Gunderson?"

"Margie? She's a slice of apple pie, she is. Put her and her husband together, and you got pie à la mode." Annaliese chuckled at her own description of the couple.

Anna smiled and laughed with her, lowering his head for a moment and then looking at her again.

"You thinking about marrying Elena?" Annaliese asked him, taking another inhale.

"I never said that."

"You didn't have to. I already know you love her, but the problem with you, Anton, is that you're too chicken to admit the truth."

The smile faded from Anton's face. He stared at Annaliese with confusion and asked her, "What do you mean?"

"When I first met you, you were this shy, reclusive little boy that didn't want anything to do with anybody", Annaliese explained to him. "You lost all hope in humanity because you thought you were wronged. I thought the same thing you did when I lost my own parents. But then I met Joshua and everything seemed different to me. Love can change a person, you know. It may not work for some, but it did for you. I don't know how she did it, but in a way, Elena transformed you."

Anton tilted his head slightly to the right, looking away from the red-headed woman. She was not aware of his past. In a way, it scared him of what she might think. If Annaliese knew of what he had done, she would not be speaking to him.

Annaliese noticed the look on his face and thought she had ruined the conversation by bringing up a sensitive topic for him. "You _do_ love her, don't you?"

Anton shook his head, not looking at her. "I don't know. I think I love her, but then again, I never thought romance would become part of my life."

"You scared of loosing her?" Annaliese asked him.

Anton looked at his friend again and answered, "I think about it." He thought it over a minute and added,"Every morning, I wake up and I look at Elena and I ask myself, _'How did a beautiful woman like her ever learn to love an ugly-looking son of a bitch like me?'_ "

"I never thought you were bad-looking."

"That's not the point."

"Then what is?"

"The point is I don't know what I should do. I love her, but I fear I'm not the right man for her."

Annaliese took another inhale of her cigarette and blew out and said, "Anton, you got nothing to worry about. Elena is a lovely woman. Twenty-four years of age, with hair like brown silk and eyes like turquoise stones freshly plucked from the seas. I don't think God Himself could have given you a better woman. You want my honest opinion, I think you and her make a cute couple."

Anton was silent. He lowered his eyes for a minute, not knowing what to say. He looked at Annaliese again and noticed her eyes for the first time. They were not turquoise like Elena's, but they were not the same shade of blue as Hartman's. Her eyes reminded him of innocence. An element he no longer possessed.

Annaliese decided to change the subject and asked him, "By the way, how's that little one of hers doing? What was her name again? Loretta?"

"Sophia", Anton answered.

"Yes, that's the one. How is she?"

"She's back in the hospital."

"What happened?"

"She suffered a seizure and went into a coma. Nobody knows how it happened. We won't know until she wakes up."

Annaliese blinked and looked away from him and took another drag of her cigarette, half-finished from the start of their conversation. "What's she like? Little Sophia, I mean."

"She's a sweet girl. Bright and innocent, you might say."

Annaliese paused for a minute and inhaled her cigarette again, searching for something else to say. "It's a shame what happened to her father, I think", she said. "Gordon Burrows was never a crude man before, you know. When his wife was still alive, he was just like any ordinary man. He was a loving husband and a good father. His wife meant the world to him. I didn't know him much, but I did see his wife come into the bar about once a month with Elena. Natalia, she was a saint, she was. She was shy, but at least she wasn't child-headed like that Hartman woman." Anneliese inhaled her cigarette once more and dowsed the rest of it into the crystal ashtray. She placed her hands into her lap, sighing.

"Do you even know how Elena and I first met?" Anton asked.

Annaliese glanced over at him, listening.

Anton quickly thought of a way on how he could cover the details of his murderous crimes and endless bloodshed from months ago, deluding her. He had to lie a little to save himself.

"I was paying a visit to a woman who had just come back from a funeral. I offered her my condolences and then I left. As I was coming to the intersection, a car ran through a red light and crashed into me. I broke my arm. Elena was just passing by when it happened...I blacked out...I don't remember feeling any pain, but I remember hearing a voice telling me I was going to be all right. I woke up the next morning and I saw her. I didn't know who she was or if I should even trust her, but I decided to give her a chance."

"You always had a problem trusting people, Anton", Annaliese noted. "You were suspicious of me when I first knew you, remember?"

"I still have a problem knowing who to trust, Anna", said Anton. "But Elena is not like most people. She is a righteous woman who strives to look for the good in people like me. I've done nothing in my life to warrant somebody like her, and yet, she thought she could save me from a life of self-destruction. Strange enough, she has become a part of my life I never thought I could get back. There is a fine balance between light and darkness. She and I are the example of that."

Annaliese stared at him, not understanding a word he was talking about. She had heard him speak like this once before when they were children and hoped he would grow out of it one day, but he hadn't. Nevertheless, she had a feeling she knew what he was trying to get across.

"You love her that much, do you?"

"I do."

Annaliese patted her hand on the empty space next to her and said, "Come here."

Anton stood up and walked over and sat down beside the red-headed woman, who took hold of his hand and told him, "You know, I always wondered what happened to you after I left that orphanage. Now that you found Elena, I don't have to worry about you anymore. You and her were brought together for a reason. Whatever doubt you have about yourself, I don't want you to linger on it. You treat Elena like she's a queen and you'll have her heart forever. You understand?"

Anton nodded.

Annaliese embraced him into her arms and hugged the man that was once her best friend, completely unaware that he used to be a murderer. Anton prayed she would never find out about his reputation the same way Elena had.

The front door opened and Anton stepped out onto the porch. Annaliese followed him and saw him out.

"I'm glad you came by", said Annaliese.

Anton was about to speak to her again, until he looked over across the street and saw Mary Hartman standing on the neighboring porch, crouching down to pick up the newspaper. The blonde woman stood up and gave a terrified look on her face the moment she saw him. His cold eyes locked onto her. Mary turned and went into the house and shut the door behind her, locking herself inside.

"What is she doing there?" Anton asked, his voice sounding harsher in tone.

"She lives there", said Annaliese, sounding uninterested.

"Does she live alone?"

"Just her and her mother. A lot of strange folk come and go, but the old woman doesn't even notice."


End file.
